Sunderland: Kyril Louis-Dreyfus must avoid repeat of 2014 deadline day disaster - View | OneFootball

The 2014 deadline day signing of Ricky Alvarez was a complete failure and the Black Cats will want to avoid such a deal.

Deadline day is always something of a roulette. With the added pressure of time, clubs clamber to make last-minute additions to their squads before the transfer window swings shut.

Like many clubs, Sunderland have fallen victim to the panic of deadline day and have signed players who they wish they had not.

One of those players is Ricky Alvarez. The Argentine initially signed for the Black Cats on loan from Inter Milan in 2014. However, due to legal issues, the Wearsiders were feeling the effects of the deal until 2020.

In what must be considered as one of the most costly deadline deals of all time, Kyril Louis-Dreyfus will be all too aware of the catastrophic consequences of making such a deal again.

Having finished the Premier League 2013/14 season in 14th position, Black Cats boss, Gus Poyet, was keen to bolster his side for the new season. Having already completed the signing of Jack Rodwell, the Uruguayan brought in Sebastian Coates and Alvarez on deadline day.

Having arrived from Inter Milan, Poyet was optimistic about Alvarez's qualities: "He is technically gifted and can do things with the ball that the rest maybe cannot with that last pass, assist or option,”he said.

"Sometimes, when a team drops deep it becomes difficult to break them down, but he has the ability to break those lines and give us something special."

Unfortunately, Alvarez never lived up to the hype, but that was largely due to the injury issues he suffered over the season. In the midfielder's fourth appearance of the season, the Argentine suffered a knee injury that kept him out until December. Significantly, this injury became the focus of a legal battle that lasted years.

Although Alvarez made 17 appearances for the club, his minutes were numbered. During his spell at the Stadium of Light, the midfielder played a total of 726 minutes and contributed one goal in the FA Cup against Fulham.

The legal battle

Although Alvarez was initially signed on loan, it emerged that there was a deal in place which meant Sunderland would have to sign the midfielder permanently, should they secure their Premier League status. The agreed sum was €10.5 million, paid over four installments.

However, there was an interesting clause in the deal which would allow the Wearsiders to ditch the deal. The clause included in the deal related to a chronic patellar tendonitis which Alvarez suffered in his left knee.

The details of the specific clause specified that if the issue got to the point where Alvarez was unable to perform as a professional, then the club would not have to pursue the deal.

Due to the injuries which Alzarez suffered during his time on Wearside, Sunderland informed Inter Milan that they did not believe the deal was valid and therefore would not sign Alvarez on a permanent deal.

In 2015, the legal battle between Sunderland and Inter commenced and was first heard by the FIFA Players’ Status Committee. Having rumbled on for two years, the case was finally settled in 2017, when Sunderland were ordered to pay Inter the entirety of the agreed transfer fee. The full verdict can be found here.

Despite the conclusion of the case in 2017, in 2020 Sunderland were ordered to pay Alvarez a sum of £4,770,000 in compensation for a breach of contract. With the effects of the deal felt over five years and numerous owners, the club will not want a repeat of the disaster.

Louis-Dreyfus cannot make the same mistakes

Since Louis-Dreyfus took control of the club, he has implemented a change in strategy when it comes to transfers. Gone are the days of the club wasting money on average players, with the owner taking a more considered approach.

Along with director of football, Kristjaan Speakman, the Sunderland hierarchy has primarily targeted youth with potential in the transfer market. The idea of the new model is to make Sunderland a more sustainable club, while being able to challenge on the pitch.

Indeed, since his takeover, the club have gone from League One mediocrity to Championship promotion contenders. The club have built an exciting squad with vast potential and the players are only going to continue to improve.

Although he is sometimes criticised for not spending big, there is a method to his approach. Louis-Dreyfus understands the catastrophic effects of allowing such deals, like Alvarez's, to happen, as the club can suffer for years after the deal is supposedly done.

It is paramount that the owner sticks to his transfer strategy and does not succumb to the temptation of spending big on deadline day like so many have done before him.

While the deadline day signing of Alvarez occurred ten years ago, the club were still feeling the financial effects of the deal until 2020.

Although it may be tempting, the club cannot allow a repeat of such a deal to happen, and it must be considered the worst signing in Sunderland's history.

With Louis-Dreyfus in charge, it is unlikely such a deal would be allowed to happen again with the chairman determined to learn from mistakes made by his predecessors.