Middlesbrough fans won’t be happy this morning, but generally speaking Adam Johnson’s move to Sunderland is a transfer which benefits everybody. Manchester City have no real need for him, Sunderland are greatly improved for his arrival, and Johnson himself will finally get to play consistently.
Maybe now Johnson can emerge from the shadow of the substitutes’ bench and reclaim his reputation as one of the most promising wide players in English football.
Without knowing the details of his contract, one imagines that Johnson has taken a pay-cut to move, and as such he deserves credit for that. In this age of absurd wages, we’re seeing an increased prevalence of ‘Winston Bogarde syndrome’ – whereby players become so comfortable on their contracts that they show little interest in first-team football. Johnson would never have as extreme a case as that, but it still would have been easy for him to collect his wage packet and be content with sporadic first-team appearances.
There’s no need to overstate this, or make it into a strike against player greed, because obviously it’s not – but it’s still encouraging to see players embrace the almost old-fashioned notion of wanting to play first and get paid second. Credit where it’s due.
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