Perhaps Fabio Borinis impact at Sunderland last season was a tad overrated - after all, a strike rate of 1 in 4 is not one to scream from the rooftops. Of course, it was the timing and importance of his goals that endeared the Italian to Wearsiders. His first goal alone was enough to ingratiate himself to his new supporters - bagging a late winner in the Tyne-Wear derby against Newcastle at the end of October. He would go on to bad a late equaliser in the League Cup quarter-final against Chelsea, the winning goal against Manchester United in the first leg of their subsequent semi-final showdown and the opener in the final against Manchester City. He would pile more misery on the Black Cats north-east rivals, notching a goal in the sides 3-0 victory at St. James Park and scoring several important goals during the clubs late-season Great Escape, including a goal which inflicted Jose Mourinho to his first ever league defeat at Stamford Bridge. Sunderlands Young Player of the Year was an unheralded success - surprising in a way considering that it did take him until the end of October to bag his first goal for the club. He became so pivotal to the north-east clubs fortunes that Gus Poyet spent the majority of the summer trying to thrash out a permanent deal for the Liverpool striker, with a £12 million bid having already been accepted as early as July. The protracted transfer saga would last until transfer deadline day, with the Italian adamant that he would not return to Wearside as he wanted to cut his teeth at Anfield despite Brendan Rodgers reluctance to include him in his first-team plans. Sunderland miss his goals this season, thats for sure.
Recent Journalism & New Media graduate. Insatiable thirst for all things football, and hopes to break into the field of sports journalism in the near future.
Have made a significantly insignificant playing career out of receiving several slaps around the head for not passing the ball.
