During a relegation battle, it can become a regular, seasonal occurrence that some players simply don't share the survive at all costs mentality that their teammates, fans or manager demand and are thinking of pastures new before the season's out.
It would appear that Sunderland currently have that problem with one of their players, and he's currently not even playing for the club.
Jeremain Lens is on a season long loan at Fenerbahce, where he intends to stay and hopes a Mackems relegation will ease the process of his loan move becoming permanent. Speaking to Turkish TV, Lens said, "When Sunderland are down we will be able to transfer more easily here."
Credit: Copa90
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His comments have, understandably, drawn the ire of Black Cats boss David Moyes, who has labelled the Dutchman as a 'disgrace'.
"It's disgracefully disrespectful to the club which holds his registration. You hate to think of anyone connected to this club saying that.
"A lot of team-mates here who he played with are fighting every week with a small squad to try to keep us in the Premier League. It's a disgrace to say that about your parent club."
We've likely seen the last of Jeremain Lens in a Sunderland shirt. Image: PA
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Lens, who was signed from Dynamo Kyiv in a £13m deal in 2015, was allowed to leave on loan by Moyes in August, having fallen out with previous manager Sam Allardyce. Moyes now sees absolutely no way back for the former PSV Eindhoven man at the Stadium Of Light.
"I don't know if anyone would want him back at the club now. I think it would be very hard for that to happen.
"We'd paid around £13m for him, I knew his reputation as a player, we were short of bodies and we hadn't got a lot of quality so I did think was it right to move him on. But there were just some things I saw with him that I wasn't sure about.
"I wanted to give him an opportunity but I didn't feel as if I saw enough from him - and he wanted to go and work with Dick again and Fenerbahce were offering to pay all of his wages.
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"I only had a few weeks with him in the summer so I was going mostly on what I'd been told by other people. I took advice from our coaches and from Sam [Allardyce] as well. They told me he didn't play much last season."
So, for you few remaining fans of the Dutch winger on Wearside, maybe don't get your hopes up about seeing him flying down the wing at the Stadium of Light.
(H/T Yahoo Sport)
Topics: fenerbahce, Sunderland, Football, David Moyes