This article is part of Football League World's 'The Verdict' series, which provides personal opinions from the FLW writers regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more...

Sunderland have recently announced that Kyle Lafferty has left the club after his short-term deal at the Stadium of Light reached a conclusion. 

The Northern Irishman scored twice in 11 appearances for the League One club, as they narrowly missed out on a top-six finish in the third tier this term.

The majority of League One clubs voted to curtail this year's campaign early due to off-the-field events, which would have been hugely frustrating for Phil Parkinson's side, as it meant they finished outside of the play-off places.

Lafferty signed for Sunderland on a six-month deal during the January transfer window, as Parkinson looked to add depth to his attacking options ahead of the final few months of the season.

However, with off-the-field events calling an abrupt halt to the 2019/20 season, Lafferty has been unable to have the chance to prove himself, which has led to the club making the call to not renew his deal.

But have Sunderland made the right decision in not renewing his contract for a further year?

We discuss....

George Harbey:

Absolutely the right decision from the club.

I always thought that Lafferty was a risky signing for Sunderland and always thought they signed him because he was a high-profile international player.and not necessarily because of his goalscoring record.

Lafferty turned out to be a flop for the Black Cats, scoring only twice in a total of 11 appearances for Sunderland, and I think it's essential that Phil Parkinson gets rid of the players he doesn't warm to this summer and bring in his own type of players.

He was likely to be on high wages, too, so it was undoubtedly the best move from the club to part ways with Lafferty after a turbulent spell at the Stadium of Light.

Alfie Burns: 

Hopefully this is a sign of just how ruthless Sunderland are going to be this summer. A rebuild is needed and Parkinson simply can’t afford to have anyone sticking around if they aren’t 100% for the cause.

Sunderland are in a tough situation and a third year in League One is vital for them – they need to win promotion next season and the planning has to be right.

Many might’ve stuck with a player like Lafferty given his career to date, but Sunderland haven’t done that and they should be applauded for this ruthless approach to the early weeks of the summer.

Of course, a decent replacement is going to be needed, but on the face of things I feel that Sunderland have made the right call.

Can you score full marks on this higher or lower Sunderland quiz? 

 

George Dagless: 

I think so.

It was worth a punt with Lafferty but Sunderland never got to see the best of him and I think it makes sense to hit the reset button now.

With another League One campaign on the horizon for them, it is now time for the Black Cats to be looking at getting in young, hungry players and kicking off a new dawn.

They need some experience but I think mainly they need to really revamp the squad and letting someone like Lafferty go - who wasn't at the club long - makes sense.