Papy Djilobodji breaks silence on his Sunderland exit and reveals the Simon Grayson decision he disagreed with

The former Chelsea defender left the Black Cats in the summer of 2018 under a cloud after the club’s relegation to League One.

Djilobodji, now 32, turns out for Turkish side Gaziantep and has lifted the lid on his time at Sunderland in a rare interview.

And the defender has admitted to not being entirely respectful as he looked to force through an exit from the club – having made no secret of his desire not to play in the Championship following the club’s drop from the Premier League in the summer of 2017.

Speaking to Press Afrik, Djilobodji said: “I am a professional. Since I was little, I have respected my training, my coaches, my elders in the National Team.

“In all the clubs I have been to, I have been respectful, except in Sunderland because we had gone down and I did not want to play in the Championship anymore.

“So I did some --------- and they fired me.

“But I have always fulfilled my obligations. I train hard, rest and try to play every game I can, if I’m not injured. I like the truth and if I can’t find it, I say I don’t agree.”

Djilobodji also discussed a certain fixture at Brentford, where he didn’t make the match day squad despite being asked to travel to London.

And that, claims the Senegal international, led to a frank exchange of views with then-manager Simon Grayson.

"With Sunderland, we were relegated and I didn’t want to play in the second division,” continued the defender.

“Two days before the end of the transfer window, the coach did not make me play, either he put me on the bench, or I was 19th on the list.

“One day, we had gone to play in Brentford, we arrived the day before, we went to the hotel. It was once at the stadium that the coach gave his list of 18 players.

“He said: “Papy, you are watching the game from the top of the stands”.

“I was angry. I played in the Premier League, in Germany and in France, I didn’t deserve this.

“I didn’t know what instructions he had received from the club. There are directives that come from above and the coach is obliged to apply them so as not to put himself in danger.

“After that, I was in the locker room with all the players and I waited for everyone to come out and I went to the coach to talk to him. He thought I was coming to hit him, he looked at me with his eyes open, he said: “But what is it?”, I said to him: “listen, I’ve never had a problem anywhere, but I’m not 18 for you to do things to me like that. Next time, if you have to do this to me, leave me at home.”

“He told me ok.”

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