Jozy Altidore has been named one of the worst signings in Premier League history after a disappointing spell at Sunderland. The American forward, who most recently featured for MLS side New England Revolution and celebrated his 36th birthday on Thursday, has endured a tough time on Wearside. He scored just two goals in 70 Premier League games. One goal came when he was on loan at Hull from Villarreal in the 2009-10 season, and the other came during his stay in England with the Black Cats, where he had been plagued by fitness issues.
After a prolific spell with Dutch side AZ, Sunderland spent around £10m to sign Altidore in 2013, signing him on a four-year deal. But his only goal in the league, in a 4-3 defeat against Chelsea, represented his finest work at the Stadium of Light. After scoring just two more times for Sunderland in the League Cup, he left the team after two seasons for Toronto FC. Despite this, he had far greater success on the international stage, scoring an astonishing 42 goals in 115 appearances for the United States.
Off the field, former world No. 3 and American tennis sensation Sloane Stephens has garnered considerable attention.
Altidore and Stevens, who famously won the US Open in 2017 and reached the French Open final the following year, are childhood friends who grew up together in Florida.
They lost touch as their sports careers took off, but a chance encounter in 2016 changed their relationship.
“During the U.S. Men’s National Team camp, there was a media scrum in the hallway,” Altidore told Vogue.
“Sloan was in Hawaii practicing for Fed Cup, and Sloan came around the corner talking loudly on FaceTime.
“During the scrum, we made eye contact and started talking. After the game against Iceland, we exchanged contact details and went to dinner and the rest was history.”
“Josie is also a professional athlete, so there’s a lot of unspoken understanding about what each of us needs to do to be at our best and feel our best,” said Stevens, now 32.
“It’s very reassuring when your partner has that level of understanding.”
The American star has also endured fitness setbacks.
After losing in the first round to defending champion Aryna Sabalenka at the Australian Open in January, she was absent from the WTA Tour from February to September.
She made a comeback at the Guadalajara Open that same month, but lost in the opening round to Italy’s Lucrezia Stefanini.
