FORTY-EIGHT hours after it was slammed in his face, Sunderland chairman Niall Quinn insisted the door was still open for Asamoah Gyan to return to Wearside.
The Ghana striker completed his a season-long loan move to United Arab Emirates club Al-Ain after passing a medical yesterday. The Black Cats will reportedly receive a fee of £6m – nearly half the £13m they paid 12 months earlier – for the loan, and there is a view to a permanent deal.
Talking about the move after Saturday’s 2-1 defeat by Chelsea, manager Steve Bruce effectively ruled out the prospect of his most expensive purchase wearing the red-and-white stripes again, saying: “I don’t believe he’s got a future here.” Quinn has spent the last few days firefighting, denying rumours that he and Bruce were about to leave the Stadium of Light. Yesterday he backtracked on Gyan (pictured left) when explaining the deal to Sunderland’s official website.
“Steve’s frustrations towards the player, expressed minutes after the Chelsea game, were understandable at such a time but I can reveal since then Asamoah and Steve have made contact and are on good terms,” he said.
“The olive branch is now there for Asamoah, but he will need to convince Steve, the board and every Sunderland fan of his commitment to this club if he is to return.” Gyan has apparently played his part too, agreeing to make what Quinn called a “sizeable donation” to the club’s charity, the SAFC Foundation, for every month he spends on loan.
Like Bruce, though, Quinn has argued the Black Cats were left with little choice but to do business once the player expressed a desire to leave, saying: “From the moment Asamoah returned for pre-season training we could tell there were people trying to move him on.”
Since a brilliant performance and equaliser against England at Wembley in March, Gyan has been linked with a host of clubs.
“We hoped it would pass by, rebuking approaches from the Premier League, France and Turkey and felt the player would settle back down and continue to help our cause,” Quinn continued.
