Born on this day in 1971 is former Sunderland flop Lilian Laslandes. The striker was signed as a replacement for the legendary Niall Quinn, but didn’t quite live up to expectations...
Laslandes began his career at the rather late age of 20, signing for Saint-Seurin. He scored an impressive 10 goals in 33 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 47 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 47 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, and played 12 league 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 a French 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 twelve 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 five 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 Nice and Bordeaux.
