Sunderland AFC's £2.5m transfer gamble was a flop despite unfortunate Ross Stewart factor | OneFootball

Nazariy Rusyn's Sunderland spell can't be looked at fondly.

Nazariy Rusyn's 18-month spell at Sunderland came to a potential conclusion this past weekend as he made the move to Croatian outfit Hajduk Split.

Signed by the Wearsiders for £2.5 million in the summer of 2023, the Ukrainian brought hopes of a free-scoring forward, having netted 13 times in 30 games for Zorya Luhansk in 2022-23.

Unfortunately, this level of contribution never came to the fore at the Stadium of Light, with the striker managing just two goals for the Black Cats in the 2023-24 campaign.

He has now moved on, albeit only temporarily for now, and if he's played for the club for a final time as expected, this is a deal that Sunderland fans will want to quickly forget in a hurry - but he was perhaps unfortunate to have to fill the boots of a very prolific forward.

Nazariy Rusyn move from Sunderland to Hajduk Split is best for all parties

This January, it seemed inevitable that Rusyn's time on Wearside would come to an end, and the club has now confirmed this with his loan move to HNK Hajduk Split.

As detailed by the Black Cats, the agreement includes an option for the Croatian side to make it permanent following the conclusion of their campaign.

According to Balkans Sports, the fee to make the move permanent is set at €2.5 million (£2.1 million), slightly less than what the club paid for the striker’s services in 2023. However, it is believed that Zorya retain a 20% sell-on clause, so Sunderland will not receive the full amount of the transfer.

Nevertheless, to secure this sort of return for a player so lacking in confidence must be considered a brilliant piece of business - that is if Hajduk trigger that option to buy in the summer.

Nazariy Rusyn has to be labelled an unfortunate flop for Sunderland

One of the big outlays of the 2023-24 season, it was hoped that Rusyn would be the man to give Sunderland that extra level and build upon a brilliant 2022-23, where they finished sixth in the league.

This faith was clearly shown in the deal offered to him, with the striker signing a four-year contract with the option of a 12-month extension.

However, aligned with much of the squad last year, the Ukrainian performed under-par and looked like a player that was struggling to settle into English football on many occasions.

Last year, he started just nine games in the Championship and found the back of the net on two occasions with strikes against Preston North End and Middlesbrough.

This season has been even worse for the Ukrainian, with a meagre eight league appearances amounting to just 66 minutes of playing time.

Most of these came in the early stages of the season, and his departure had felt inevitable in recent weeks, particularly after the attacker was absent from the bench for both the Burnley and Derby County games, with Regis Le Bris favouring others for his nine substitutes.

While many may place the blame at the player's feet, it’s important to note that his initial impression was undoubtedly affected by the managerial upheaval in 2023-24.

Under the varying guidance of Tony Mowbray, Michael Beale, and Mike Dodds, it would have been challenging for Rusyn to grasp his role, as each manager likely had different expectations of him.

Ross Stewart factor may have been overwhelming for Nazariy Rusyn at Sunderland

Signed for an expensive fee on a long-term contract, the monetary side of Rusyn's arrival meant that Mackems expected a certain level of performance from the striker.

This never materialised and, in all likelihood, never would have, making the deal a classic example of overestimating a player's ability.

Moving from Ukrainian football to a league as intense as the Championship is a tough challenge for any player, and it just doesn't appear he was ready for that.

Another factor into why Rusyn maybe did not succeed at Sunderland could have been a knock-on effect of the departure of Ross Stewart, who left for Southampton at the start of September 2023.

On the very same day, Rusyn's arrival was confirmed, making him effectively the direct replacement for the Scotsman, and that was always going to be difficult given how good Stewart was for the Wearsiders.

Despite being hamstrung with injuries in 2022-23, Stewart still scored 10 times in 13 league outings for the Black Cats, and in the season prior, he plundered in 26 goals in League One, which all combined won him a move to St Mary's Stadium for an initial £8 million.

Rusyn therefore, for all the reasons outlined in regards to not potentially being able to settle or wasn't suited to the English game, was on the back foot from the very start, and whilst it's unfortunate that it hasn't worked out, he does have to go down as a dud signing by Sunderland - although they've got credit in the bank for other deals in recent times, such as landing Trai Hume, Jobe Bellingham among others.