8 Biggest Sunderland Rumours That Never Happened

7. Roberto Mancini, Sunderland Manager

Sunderland are such a massive 'if only' club, and a potential deal to bring in Roberto Mancini adds weight to that. The Italian boss had taken a year out after being sacked by Inter, but told Sky Italia in 2009: "I am honoured to have had an offer from Sunderland Football Club. It is a fantastic opportunity. It will be truly wonderful to lead such a prestigious and historic club in England after a year of sitting on the sidelines. I feel I am ready to start again with immense enthusiasm."

However, the deal never materialised and the rest is history. Instead of taking free agent Mancini, Sunderland stumped up £3m to land Steve Bruce. Whether Mancini was ever really offered the job, we'll never know.