Sunderland: High-profile transfer was a lesson for Black Cats - View | OneFootball

The signing of Louis Saha drew attention considering his previous exploits in the Premier League. However, the forward flopped on Wearside.

Sometimes the draw of a big name signing can be too tempting to resist, and rightly so. In being able to bring in household names, it can make a club more of an attractive proposition for other players.

In signing Louis Saha, Sunderland were signing a player with a considerable reputation. Having made his mark in England with Fulham, the Frenchman went on to play for the likes of Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur and Everton.

However, by the time he joined the Black Cats, Saha was 34 years of age and well past his peak. Of course, the lure of the name Saha may have been too much to resist for the Wearsiders, but a potential signing should not be brought in solely on their name.

Sure enough, the signing of Saha did not pay off and the striker finished his short stint in the North East without a goal. Hopefully, the story of his time on Wearside will encourage the club to do more sensible business in the future.

Saha was past his peak before signing for Sunderland

By the summer of 2012, Sunderland had made a habit of signing big names. Over the previous windows, the club brought in the likes of Nicklas Bendtner, John O'Shea and Asamoah Gyan, among others.

While Gyan joined Saudi Arabian side, Al Ain, and became the highest paid player in world football, there was room for more strikers and the Black Cats pounced on Saha and Steven Fletcher. While neither of them set the world alight, at least one of them contributed goals.

In truth, Saha never got going at the Stadium of Light. Given his age, it was always going to be unlikely that the Frenchman was going to be first choice and the Wearsiders opted for Fletcher as the lone striker for the majority of the season.

The then 34-year-old was limited to substitute appearances and never scored a goal during his brief spell on Wearside. After only six months at the club, Sunderlandreleased Saha in January 2013, having not started a single game.

The signing of the Frenchman was pointless by all accounts and one the club did not need to make, given the club had Frazier Campbell and Connor Wickham in their ranks.

A change in direction after Saha's departure

The following summer saw a change in direction in Sunderland's transfer policy that did not pay off. With Paolo Di Canio at the helm, the club signed a staggering 18 players, with six of those free transfers.

By casting their net wide, the Black Cats were playing a numbers game, but the majority of those signings flopped, with the £6m spent on Jozy Altidore a complete waste.

Out of the signings brought in by Di Canio, Vito Mannone, Marcos Alonso and Fabio Alonso stand out, but in truth it was a miserable season that ended with a great escape.

Ironically, the next signing of a similar ilk to that of Saha was Jermain Defoe. Although he was 32 years of age, the striker left England to pursue a career in Canada, with Toronto.

In a weird twist of fate, Sunderland agreed a deal with Toronto to swap Altidore for Defoe - a deal which paid off for the Black Cats. Defoe played a vital part in securing Sunderland's safety and became a cult hero on Wearside for his passion for the club and friendship with young Sunderland supporter, Bradley Lowery, who sadly passed away.

Although some people thought he was past it, Defoe proved the doubters oh so wrong and scored 37 goals in 93 appearances. However, Defoe returned at 39 years of age and inevitably failed to make an impact, but it was still worth it for the nostalgia.

While the draw of a name like Saha was enough to sign the 34-year-old, he was clearly past his peak and the signing should never have happened.

Sunderland largely avoided such signings after, with the exception of Defoe, who made a seismic impact at the Stadium of Light.