Deadline day is somewhat of a hotbed of rumours and interest, with Sunderland one of the former 20 top-flight clubs on 24-hour news alert on the television.

Not so long ago, David Moyes dipped his toes in the last minute pool to complete the signing of Didier Ndong from French Ligue 1 side Lorient on a five-year deal.

Unusually, the Black Cats chose to reveal the fee like some sort of badge of honour in parading the €16million figure about.

And the initial reaction to the signing for the Gabon international was reasonably positive.

No one would have envisaged what was to come with the 24-year-old.

In a season that ended in relegation to the Championship, Ndong managed 33 appearances and scored his first - and only - goal for the club in an impressive 4-0 away win against Crystal Palace.

Despite that, the Black Cats finished bottom of the division and would head to the Championship.

After a clearcut from some of the players who sent Sunderland down, Ndong was into his second season of the five-year deal he had signed the August previous.

And he would fail to score that season that went with abject performances throughout the tenure of Simon Grayson, who replaced Moyes after relegation.

Robbie Stockdale took caretaker charge in the intervening time after Grayson's sacking before Chris Coleman came in to try and keep Sunderland in the Championship after a second successive horror season.

Ndong got sent off in the heavy 4-0 away defeat to Cardiff on January 12, 2018 - that would be his final appearance in the famous red and white strips.

Sunderland were relegated for the second season in a row after failing to recover from their hangover from the drop the previous year.

So having made hardly any impact, Ndong looked to be heading to League One with the Black Cats.

That, however, was never forthcoming. The Gabon international failed to turn up to the start of pre-season ahead of a third-tier campaign and was unable to communicate his whereabouts.

Having been AWOL for three months without any sign of him returning, Ndong appeared out of nowhere to return to the Stadium of Light.

But his card was marked, and after his futile return, Sunderland served him notice and sacked the midfielder.

The reaction to the news was one of relief and a far cry to how it was when he first arrived at the club.

After a favourable incoming and fans pleased with his arrival, what followed was nothing short of deplorable and once he realised he wouldn’t be paid, tried to come back and act like all is forgiven.

He is still young and may have been poorly advised, but that doesn’t mean to say he wasn’t completely void of responsibility.

From a Premier League player with fans excited to an unwanted outcast who disrespected the club and the fans with his poor attitude and lack of commitment to a team in the third-tier.

This signing certainly did not turn out as expected and becomes another black mark on the recent dark history at the Stadium of Light.