This is what happened to every Sunderland player that left the Stadium of Light this summer
It was a busy summer of ins and outs on Wearside as head coach Lee Johnson continued to reshape and mould his side ready for another tilt at League One promotion this campaign.
By Joe Ramage
Published 20th Sep 2021, 12:00 BST
Updated 11th Nov 2021, 15:09 BST
While the likes of Alex Pritchard, Corry Evans and German duo Leon Dajaku and Rob-Thorben Hoffmann came through the doors at the Stadium of Light there were a number of notable absentees.
Here we look back at 12 players who departed over the summer and check in with how they’re getting on.
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9. Max Power - Wigan Athletic
Another player to swap the red and white stripes of Sunderland for the blue and white stripes of Wigan this summer was former captain Power. The 28-year-old spent three seasons at the Stadium of Light before heading to the DW Stadium and while he lifted the clubs first piece of silverware for 48-years back in March the midfielder drew an indifference of opinion from supporters. Power made a bright start to his Sunderland career, scoring on his debut against Scunthorpe United, before a series of red cards impacted his performance that campaign. An injury picked up in the early stages of the play-off final defeat to Charlton came as a big loss before he struggled to regain the kind of early form in 2018. Power was named captain of the side after the departure of Lee Cattermole and never fell short of his responsibilities in that role but will ultimately be remembered as part of the team unable to get Sunderland back into the Championship as he moved back to former club Wigan for the 2021-22 campaign. (Photo by Justin Setterfield/Getty Images) Photo: Justin Setterfield
Signed on a free in January 2020 Scowen seemed like a good piece of business by then manager Parkinson having been a regular starter in the Queens Park Rangers side in the Championship. The tenacious midfielder made 47 appearances during his 18 months on Wearside but ultimately became part of a team who were unable to achieve their goal of gaining promotion. Following the arrival of Corry Evans and the emergence of Dan Neil and Elliot Embleton, Scowen’s first team opportunities were limited before he joined Gareth Ainsworth’s Wycombe where he has once again become a regular starter. (Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images) Photo: Stu Forster
Signed as a back up to Lee Burge, Matthews became involved midway through last season following the arrival of Johnson and the indifferent form of Burge. But much like his rival, the former Bolton Wanderers stopper struggled to hold down the no1 spot after producing some notable errors of his own against Burton Albion and Shrewsbury Town. As a result Johnson returned to Burge in between the sticks and Matthews was unable to find a spot back in the starting XI. But Matthews was handed a surprise opportunity in the summer after Crystal Palace boss Patrick Vieira snapped up the 27-year-old as cover at Selhurt Park (Photo by Charlotte Tattersall/Getty Images) Photo: Charlotte Tattersall
Maguire was certainly a fan favourite during his three years at the Stadium of Light. Brought in on a free from Bury ahead of the clubs first season at League One level Maguire hit the ground running scoring twice in the opening four league games of the season. The Scotsman’s antagonising behaviour toward the opposition struck a chord with supporters as he became a key figure in Ross’ first season at the club. Although the club suffered heartbreak in the play-off final defeat to Charlton Maguire returned for his second season in fine form scoring the winner against Portsmouth before bagging a hat-trick the following week against AFC Wimbledon. But a slow start to the season meant the dismissal of Ross and Maguire struggled to be involved as much under Parkinson. Despite a new one year deal last summer Maguire departed the Stadium of Light this year to join Michael Appleton’s Lincoln having made just over 100 appearances for the Black Cats scoring 22 goals. (Photo by Bryn Lennon/Getty Images) Photo: Bryn Lennon