On This Day (5 July 2011): Quinn confident of signing John O’Shea.

The chairman of Wearside was eager to bring a Manchester United stalwart to the Stadium of Light during the next summer revamp.

Following Jordan Henderson’s departure from Sunderland for pastures new at Liverpool, reports circulated in the media that we were interested in recruiting several players from a single club.

Steve Bruce was apparently after a trio of Manchester United players, including defender Wes Brown and Republic of Ireland duo Darron Gibson and John O’Shea, similar to the four of Tottenham Hotspur players pursued by Roy Keane in 2008.

Negotiations were drawn out due to other parties’ interest in each of the players, but chairman Niall Quinn was described in the Irish media as being ‘confident’ that certain transactions would be completed over others.Photo by Jan Kruger/Getty Images

In the case of Gibson, Quinn seemed less pleased about the midfielder’s signing. Reports linking him to Everton appeared to halt Sunderland’s interest. Despite the alleged delay in the acquisition of Gibson, the chairman appeared significantly more optimistic when asked about the prospect of signing O’Shea.

That would be considered a coup given what the defender had achieved at Old Trafford, and, like Gibson, he was another player with interest from other teams, although Quinn conceded this one was getting closer.

Speaking to the Irish Daily Mirror, the chairman stated that the delay in completing a deal was due to the birth of O’Shea’s child the day before, which forced the club to’step back’ in their transfer negotiations.

O’Shea’s signing for just over £5 million was revealed only two days after Quinn talked to the media, confirming why he was so confident. It was also a transfer that became a popular topic at bar counters throughout the city.

Photo by AMA/Corbis via Getty Images

Despite being a faithful servant to numerous managers throughout this time, O’Shea will be regarded as one of the club’s longest-serving players during a period when we were at our lowest point in history. In actuality, he may have been a victim of his own loyalty, and he could have left before the true rot began.

In comparison to the numerous disappointing footballers we had at the time, O’Shea’s stint at Sunderland can be seen more positively.

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