Sunderland deserve immense credit for the way that they have handled their recruitment since they won the Championship play-offs to secure promotion to the Premier League.

The Black Cats have hit the jackpot with so many of their signings over the past 13 months, including the likes of Granit Xhaka, Brian Brobbey, Nordi Mukiele, and Enzo Le Fee.

After a long absence from the top-flight of English football, the club have learned from some of their mistakes from the past and recruited brilliantly, for the most part.

When they were last relegated from the Premier League, in the 2016/17 campaign, too many of their signings failed to hit the mark, including Jack Rodwell.

How Jack Rodwell's Sunderland career unfolded

In the summer of 2014, Sunderland swooped to sign the England international from Manchester City for a fee of £10m, with the club possibly hoping that his experience in the Premier League would allow him to hit the ground running.

That was not quite how it played out, though, as the midfielder only featured in 23 of the club's 38 matches in the Premier League, starting just 17 of those games.

Availability issues plagued his career at the Stadium of Light. He only played 22 times in the league in the 2015/16 campaign, and played only 20 matches as Sunderland were relegated from the division the following year.

Rodwell then only played three times in the 2017/18 season after the club's relegation to the second tier, before he was released on a free transfer to sign for Blackburn Rovers in the summer of 2018.

The former Manchester City midfielder was ultimately a flop at the Stadium of Light because he arrived for a significant fee, at the time, and was rarely available and rarely made an impact when he was on the pitch.

Sunderland have found their new Jack Rodwell

For all the great work that Sunderland have done in the transfer market since their return to the Premier League, there will always be a deal or two that does not work out.

In the summer of 2025, the Black Cats pushed the boat out to sign central midfielder Habib Diarra from Strasbourg for what was a club-record fee of £27m at the time, handing him a £2.6m-per-season contract.

Journalist and Sunderland supporter Josh Bunting described the signing as a "ridiculous statement" because he is a "pretty complete midfielder", and it looked like an exciting deal on paper for the club.Unfortunately, though, the Senegal international has yet to live up to the hype that came with his arrival at the Stadium of Light, as he has struggled with form and fitness in England.

The 22-year-old midfielder is currently sidelined with a hamstring injury and is not expected to return until the end of next month, and has not played since the 1-0 win over Fulham in August.In the 2025/26 campaign, Diarra only played 20 of the club's 38 matches in the Premier League for Regis Le Bris, just as Rodwell failed to make more than 23 appearances in a single campaign for the club.

As was also the case with Rodwell during his time on Wearside, the Senegalese star was also an inconsistent performer on the pitch when he was available to play in the top-flight.Diarra averaged less than one key pass every other game for the Black Cats and struggled with the physical side of the game, losing the majority of his duels on the ground and in the air.

The 22-year-old talent did score two goals and provide two assists, to his credit, but Rodwell also scored seven goals in 76 matches for the club, and that was not enough to prevent him from being a flop.

Sunderland have paid more than £29m, in transfer fees and wages, for Diarra since the start of last season and they have yet to recoup much of that value back with his performances.

The Senegal international needs to turn his Stadium of Light career around by playing consistently, without getting injured, whilst delivering more quality on a regular basis in midfield.

Otherwise, Diarra may end up going down as the club's next version of Rodwell, as another expensive central midfield signing who did not live up to the hype.