Jack Colback seemed very happy to have completed his summer transfer to Newcastle United; speaking to NUFC TV, Colback spoke of excitement to play for a club he had supported since he was a boy. His delight was not shared however, by his former club and local rivals Sunderland FC.
Colback signed for Newcastle on a free transfer,a decision that Sunderland have taken as a slight to the club who nurtured him, and gave him the chance to pursue his dream of a career as a professional footballer. The club released this statement upon the announcement of Colback's signing for Newcastle United.
Jack is a player we have nurtured and developed through our academy system since he was eight years old. We gave him the opportunity to become a professional footballer and are therefore extremely disappointed in the events that have led to his departure from the club.
This wasn’t about money - the club agreed to all of the terms demanded of us during discussions and we were always led to believe that Jack wanted to stay with us. At his and his representatives’ request, final talks were put on hold until the club secured its top flight status. To our dismay however, we were subsequently never given the chance to negotiate with him to stay.
For him to then leave the club that has supported him throughout his formative years in such a manner, with no chance for Sunderland to recover any of the significant investment that it has made in him as a player, has left a bitter taste.
Here is the NUFC TV interview..
It's quite rare that a club will release a press statement that is quite so frank about feelings of disappointment and anger towards a former player, so we can assume that their feelings are genuine. I find myself empathising with the Mackems on this one, to have put so much in terms of investment into one player only for him to leave on a free, must be a uniquely frustrating experience.
[H/T 101 Great Goals]
