West Brom never saw full Sunderland AFC factor with exciting £6 million transfer agreement | OneFootball

Stéphane Sessegnon's record breaking deal to West Brom failed to live up to expectations

West Brom broke their club-record transfer fee in the 2013 summer transfer window to sign Stéphane Sessegnon from Sunderland.

It was reported by Express & Star that the deal was worth an initial £5.5 million but could potentially rise as high as £6 million.

That was more than the Baggies had ever paid to sign someone at that stage in their history, with the club established in the Premier League at that stage.

Albion were preparing for their fourth season in a row in the top flight, with Steve Clarke manager and the team earning an impressive eighth-place finish under the Scot in the previous term.

However, it didn’t go according to plan at all over the next 12 months, and the disappointment can be best summed up by Sessegnon’s lack of impact at the Hawthorns.

Stéphane Sessegnon’s difficult West Brom stint

Sessegnon arrived at West Brom with an exciting reputation as a fan favourite at Sunderland, having performed well at Premier League level for them for three seasons.

In 87 top flight appearances, the forward contributed 17 goals and 15 assists, helping the Black Cats achieve 10th, 13th and 17th place finishes.

In his final campaign at the Stadium of Light, he scored seven times in an otherwise struggling side, so it was hoped that adding him to the team that just came eighth in the table could see him become even more prolific.

However, the loss of the likes of Romelu Lukaku, whose loan spell ended in the summer of 2013, proved massive for Clarke’s side.

The now 61-year-old was sacked in December of that year with the team struggling in the bottom half of the table and in danger of suffering relegation to the Championship.

By that stage of the 2013/14 season, Sessegnon had contributed just two goals and one assist in the league, with 15 points from 16 games and the side 16th in the standings.

Pepe Mel eventually replaced Clarke as manager, but Sessegnon still struggled for consistent form in his debut campaign with Albion.

He ultimately scored only three more times as West Brom finished 17th, just three points clear of the relegation zone.

Stéphane Sessegnon never made it work at West Brom

While Sessegnon had a difficult first year at West Brom, there was still hope he could turn things around at the club and get back to the form he displayed at Sunderland that had convinced West Brom to agree to this £6 million deal.

However, the now 40-year-old struggled even more, starting just 20 times in the Premier League from 28 appearances, scoring only one goal.

The Baggies did improve to a 13th-place finish in the table, but Sessegnon’s influence on the side as he struggled to find any kind of form.

The forward spent one more season at the Hawthorns, but continued to disappoint as the club finished 14th in the Premier League.

He scored two goals from 25 games in the top flight, with his final appearance coming as a substitute in a 3-0 defeat at home to West Ham.

This proved his final act for the Midlands outfit before moving on to French side Montpellier in the summer, putting a fitting end on an underwhelming three-year stint for West Brom.