Jack Rodwell has started 32 Premier League games since his arrival at Sunderland in a £10 million switch from Manchester City during the summer of 2014, and won none of them.
Real Madrid star Gareth Bale famously went 22 league starts after his move to Tottenham from Southampton without seeing his side collect three points.
In all, Rodwell’s 32 starts for the club have yielded no wins, 15 draws and 17 defeats. However, he has fared better as a substitute, winning five, drawing five and losing 10 to help collect 20 points from a total of 60.
Jiangsu deny Nagatomo deal
Japanese daily Sports Hochi re-ported last weekend that Yuto Nagatomo had signed a contract to join Jiangsu in January but the Chinese club denied a deal was in place for the Inter wing-back.
Nagatomo, 30, has rarely featured for Inter this season with Frank de Boer as coach. Sports Hochi said Nagatomo would join Jiangsu, a club belonging to Inter owners Suning Group.
Jiangsu rubbished the report.
“Contrary to reports in the Japanese press, Jiangsu Suning wishes to clarify that it did not make any offers for Yuto Naga-tomo of Inter,” they said in a statement.
Bailly’s injury
Jose Mourinho fears Manchester United defender Eric Bailly has suffered serious knee ligament damage.
On Sunday, Mourinho en-dured a nightmare return to Stamford Bridge, not only suffering a heavy 4-0 defeat but losing a key player in the process.
Bailly has impressed since his summer move from Villarreal and limped off after 52 minutes with what Mourinho believes could be a long-term knee injury.
“He is injured and I am afraid he is badly injured,” the United manager said.
Bailly has played all but one of United’s matches this season.
Drogba absent again for Impact
Didier Drogba was absent again when Montreal Impact played New England Revolution on Sunday, falling further out of the team’s picture.
The Ivorian striker refused to play last week after learning that he would not be in the starting line-up against Toronto FC.
Montreal indicated that the impasse had been settled but Drogba did not train with the team leading up to the match against the Revolution.
Drogba’s future with the club heading into the post-season became more of a mystery as the team limped into the play-offs in a 3-0 loss to the Revolution.
Montreal Impact secured the fifth spot in the Eastern Conference on the final day of the MLS regular season.
Morata makes the most of cameo
Alvaro Morata again proved decisive from the bench by striking a late winner against Athletic Bilbao and firing Real Madrid to the top of La Liga late Sunday.
The Spain international has been afforded limited opportunities in his first season back at Real following two years with Juventus and made just four league starts.
“I would happily accept scoring every time I came off the bench, I am here to help the team and that’s what I’m doing,” Morata said.
“It would be very selfish of me to just think about myself, we’re a team and I have to accept the coach’s decisions.”
Gazidis worth $3.24m salary, say Arsenal
Arsenal have defended a 40 per cent increase in the bonus paid to chief executive Ivan Gazidis, whose overall financial package is now $3.24 million.
The issue was raised at the club’s AGM yesterday, when chairman Chips Keswick said Gazidis was doing a “first-class job” and deserved the $1.35m bonus despite Arsenal failing to win the league since 2004.
“Ivan is doing a first-class job in leading the development of the club across every aspect of its operations,” he said.
Gazidis is the second highest paid executive behind Manchester United’s Ed Woodward.
‘Mini-Leicester’ win league title
Finnish minnows IFK Marie-hamn hailed their team spirit and work ethic after capturing a stunning first league championship in a thrilling climax to the season.
Dubbed “mini-Leicester” by local media in a salute to last season’s surprise English champions, IFK Mariehamn from the Aland Islands capital – population 11,500 – clinched the title with a 2-1 win over Tampere Ilves.
HJK Helsinki, 27-times champions, finished three points behind after they ended the season with a 0-0 draw against last year’s champions SJK Seinajoki.
IFK Mariehamn spent some €1.2 million in the league this year, compared to HJK Helsinki’s €4 million.