Sunderland allowed Lamine Kone to join French club RC Strasbourg on a season-long loan on August 2nd.
The centre-back joined the Black Cats from Ligue 2 side Lorient in January 2016 and had a good start to his life at the Stadium of Light. He scored a brace against Everton that helped the English club avoid relegation from the Premier League in the 2015/16 season.
His form saw him attract interest from the Merseyside club, who were keen on adding the Ivory Coast international to their squad. The Toffees even made three offers for the defender, but the leaders of Sunderland “blocked” his transfer to Goodison Park in the summer of 2016.
Quizzed on the failed move to Everton, Kone told L’Equipe: “There have been three offers, £18m, £20m and £25m. Six months before, Sunderland had bought me for €6m from Lorient. It was amazing. I started with Châteauroux, the second division club in France.
“It was amazing to see this offer. I was coming out of a period where on my first matches in England, I scored three goals and an assist. It was huge. At that time, I missed the train [of joining Everton]. It was a turning point. They [the leaders of Sunderland] blocked my transfer.”
Asked if he’d wanted to move, Kone said: “I could have known another career, that’s for sure. But nothing is lost. Strasbourg gave me an opportunity to get back on my feet.”
In the past two seasons, Kone has seen Sunderland being relegated to Championship and League One. The 28-year-old does not see his time with his parent club as a failure, and 
has taken enjoyment from his spell in England even if it didn’t go to plan when on the pitch.
Kone was also linked with a move to Turkey this summer, but he took the decision to return to France and kickstart his career.
