OTD: LILIAN LASLANDES BORN

On this day in 1971, Lilian Laslandes was born in Pauillac, France, the striker was signed in June 2001 as a replacement for the legendary Niall Quinn, but didn’t quite live up to expectations. (Understatement Alert!)

Laslandes began his career at the rather late age of 20, signing for Saint-Seurin. He scored an impressive 10 goals in 33 league appearances, which is a ratio of almost a goal every three games. He caught the eye of Auxerre, where he then played for five years, scoring 55 goals. Lilian then went to Bordeaux on a free transfer in 1997, who were in need of a clinical goalscorer. He impressed again in his home country of France, scoring another 58 goals. His physicality and goalscoring record caught the eye of Peter Reid in 2001, as Niall Quinn was ageing and struggling with injuries. The transfer fee caused excitement among Sunderland fans, as Reid splashed over £3.5 million on the target man.

The France international made his debut in a 1-0 win against Ipswich Town, and played 13 games. However, for Sunderland he didn’t look like a convincing striker at any level, never mind in the Premier League in place of Niall Quinn! In his fourth game at the club, he was unlucky to see a spectacular acrobatic effort crash back off the bar. This came in a League Cup tie at Sheffield Wednesday, where he had already grabbed his solitary goal for SAFC.

Had that gone in, perhaps history would have been different, fans would have viewed him differently and he'd be an international striker brimming with confidence. Instead, he became a striker who never really settled in the North East and reportedly didn't really fit in around the dressing room. He became yet another striker to flop on Wearside and a falling out with Reid quickly made sure his time was numbered at Sunderland. After 12 league appearances and not a single league goal, he left with his tail between his legs on a loan deal to Koln.

Laslandes played just seven games in Germany, failing to hit the back of the net. He then returned to France with a loan move to Bastia, before returning to Wearside for pre-season in 2003. Sunderland’s financial situation, along with the Frenchman’s shocking form, meant they were unable to find a willing buyer for Laslandes. He was released from his contract and went on to have spells with Bordeaux and Nice, retiring in 2008.