Sunderland and Portsmouth went head-to-head in a race to sign £6 million striker David Nugent in the summer of 2007, but Sunderland will be relieved that they did considering the way things turned out for him at Fratton Park.
The Black Cats struggled in the Premier League in 2005/06, finishing at the bottom with only 15 points.
However, they rebounded to become second-tier champions the following season.
In the summer, they aimed to strengthen their frontline, and David Nugent, who had scored 15 goals in 44 Championship games for Preston North End the previous season, appeared to be an ideal fit.
Sunderland faced a battle to secure Nugent’s signature
However, Sunderland had opposition from the opposite end of the country for his signature.
Portsmouth had just placed ninth in the Premier League, having only scored 45 goals, and they matched the Black Cats’ £6 million bid for him.
In the end, Nugent selected Portsmouth over Sunderland, but it was not a decision the club would later regret. Cracks in Nugent’s relationship with his new manager, Harry Redknapp, did not take long to emerge.
Nugent had only been introduced as Portsmouth’s latest signing on July 11th, but by the end of August, he appeared to be surplus to needs at Fratton Park, despite scoring his first goal for his new club in a 3-0 League Cup triumph over Leeds United earlier this season.
However, shortly after, Redknapp told the press: “Sometimes when you’re trying to raise money, you have to sell someone you don’t really want to sell.” That may be David, but it could be others.”
It all goes wrong for David Nugent at Portsmouth – Sunderland bag cult hero instead
Nugent opted to stay in Portsmouth, but it did not work out. He failed to score in 15 Premier League outings in 2007/08.
The timing of his first Premier League goal for Pompey was strikingly ironic. By January 2009, Redknapp had left Portsmouth for Spurs, and Nugent scored his first League goal against his former manager in a 1-1 tie that month.
However, he only scored two more Premier League goals for Portsmouth before going on loan to Burnley the next season, where he scored six in 30 games. In four complete seasons in the top division, he would only score fourteen goals.
| David Nugent’s Premier League Record | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Club | Appearances | Goals |
| 2007/08 | Portsmouth | 15 | 0 |
| 2008/09 | Portsmouth | 16 | 3 |
| 2009/10 | Portsmouth | 3 | 0 |
| 2009/10 | Burnley (loan) | 30 | 6 |
| 2014/15 | Leicester City | 29 | 5 |
| 2016/17 | Middlesbrough | 4 | 0 |
Figures from FBRef
Sunderland fared OK without him. They bought Kenwyne Jones from Southampton for £6 million plus Stern John, and Jones went on to score seven goals in 33 League appearances for them the next season, and 26 goals in 94 Premier League outings in all, before joining Stoke City for a club record £8 million in 2010.
Sunderland clearly came out on top in the 2007 tug-of-war. Nugent became a Championship icon but struggled in the Premier League.
He even made his one and only England debut and scored his one and only England goal while a Championship player, against Andorra in March 2007, when he was still at Preston.
He still holds the record for England’s shortest senior international career, scoring one goal in 11 minutes.
Portsmouth were relegated from the Premier League in 2010 after a spate of bouncing cheques, although Sunderland remained there until 2017.
Given how things turned out, the Black Cats can be forgiven for feeling relieved that they missed out on this specific new acquisition in the summer of 2007.
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