Sunderland's demise has been well documented and it's hard to pick many player signed during the David Moyes era that have come out of the period with any credit.

When looking back at bad Sunderland signings, it's impossible to pinpoint one who simply epitomised their misguided attempts at Premier League survival. When looking at Didier Ndong or Papa Djilobodji, at least you could see the attraction in the first instance.

They were woeful signings, of course that's been proven by history, but at the time value could be seen. On January 24th 2017, Sunderland perhaps made on one of the most calamitous signings of the era.

Joleon Lescott had a decent career and during his pomp he was one of the better centre halves the country had to offer. He packed in 26 England caps and won two Premier League titles.

However, by 2017 he had become something of a parody, a defender out of touch with reality after his disastrous Aston Villa spell.

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Tweeting the picture of his car in response to fan criticism made him an unpopular figure throughout football, so when Sunderland brought him back to the UK from AEK Athens, it was never going to be warmly received. His impact was barely felt, he made just two appearances during his tenure there.

His only start came as they were thrashed 5-1 at Stamford Bridge and he spent most of his time watching as they slipped aimlessly out of the top flight.

His departure was confirmed in June and he's not played professionally since, but if ever a signing defines the aimless, misguided transfer policy of those final Premier League days, it has to be the signing of Joleon Lescott...