Sunderland have made plenty of transfer missteps over the last couple of decades, all of which culminated in their back-to-back relegations down to League One.

Whilst they are currently impressing again now, and all the signs seem to point towards a return to the Premier League one day soon, it does not excuse some of the decisions they made not so long ago.

One, in particular, was to unload £6m to sign Frazier Campbell, who had held high hopes as a youngster at Manchester United.

So often with big clubs such as United, or more recently Liverpool with the sales of players like Dominic Solanke or Rhian Brewster, they can charge a premium due to their youngsters simply being attached to their brand.

It seems like this was the case with this deal, as Campbell disappointed massively on Wearside.

This should not come as a huge surprise, though, as despite a couple of successful loans between 2006 and 2008, where he scored 21 goals in 34 for Royal Antwerp, and 15 Championship goals in 34 games for Hull City, his final move to Tottenham Hotspur disappointed.

With just a solitary goal in a handful of Premier League appearances, the 5 foot 8 forward was clearly not cut out for this level. Regardless, he was signed.

He would score just ten goals in 72 appearances for the Black Cats, with just six of those coming in England’s top flight, before Cardiff City signed him for a fee reportedly under £1m.

It marked a huge loss at a time when Sunderland did not have money to just throw away.

What would make things even worse is that he would score 16 goals, more than he did in four years at the Stadium of Light, in just a season and a half for the Bluebirds.

Despite being dubbed “hard-working” by manager Carlos Corberan just a year ago, it seems that Sunderland did not gain the benefits that the clubs that followed did.

Campbell is now a free agent at the age of 35, nearly 13 years on from their initial purchase.

It represents another significant outlay wasted by the hierarchy at the club, who have plenty to answer for in their slump down the divisions.