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Jack Rodwell was one of the worst transfer deals that the Black Cats hierarchy has ever sanctioned

Jack Rodwell seemed like a strong addition to Gus Poyet's side in 2014, with the England international having a wealth of Premier League experience.

Having signed from Manchester City for a fee of £10 million, it was expected he would be the heart of the Black Cats' engine room for years to come.

Earning a strong reputation at Everton five years earlier, Rodwell's time at City didn't go as planned, but at just 23 years of age, a move to the North East was seen as the perfect opportunity to revitalise his career.

Unfortunately, what followed was a dreadful four years for Rodwell, who struggled to have an impact on Wearside.

This led to heavy criticism and upon having his contract terminated in 2018, he was called "pound for pound, the worst signing in Sunderland's history" by the Evening Chronicle.

Jack Rodwell struggled to ever make an impact at Sunderland

Initially, Rodwell's time at Sunderland, whilst poor, could have been much worse as he helped the Black Cats stay up in the Premier League in 2014-15 with three goals in 23 games.

This included strikes against both Manchester clubs as Rodwell looked to prove his doubters wrong.

Unfortunately, this promising beginning never came to fruition and injuries and fitness concerns continued to plague his time at the Stadium of Light.

2015-16 saw him make just 22 league appearances with various absences seeing him start just nine of those games. The following year, it would get even worse for Rodwell as Sunderland's flirtation with relegation finally saw them drop to the second tier as they finished rock bottom with just 24 points from 38 games.

That season, it was expected the Mackems' number eight would improve due to the arrival of his former manager at Everton, David Moyes. But, not even the experience of the Scotsman could save Rodwell, who sunk to new lows in a season of struggles.

Upon relegation to the Championship, it was perceived that things couldn't get much worse for Rodwell, who would surely have too much quality in the division below.

But while many of his teammates on large contracts moved on, Rodwell chose to stay, rejecting the opportunity to terminate his deal, as it was revealed that he was earning £70,000 per week.

This perturbed the Sunderland supporters, and what followed was a season of misery as he made just two appearances for the Black Cats as he was essentially excluded from the squad.

In his final months, a falling out with manager Chris Coleman saw things turn sour as he continued not to play despite being the top earner in the squad.

The same season, Sunderland fell to successive relegations as they succumbed to football in the third tier for the first time since 1988.

For Rodwell, it had proven a dreadful four years, and finally, he agreed to terminate his contract in June 2018, which still stood at £43,000 per week despite the clauses included within it.

Going down as one of the worst deals in the club's history, since departing Wearside, his career has followed a similar trend. Spells at Sheffield United and Blackburn Rovers saw him make a combined 24 appearances, and he is currently without a club, having departed Syndey Football Club in the summer.

Rodwell had so much potential as a youngster, but his time at the Stadium of Light ultimately proved to be the beginning of the end for his career.