Former Sunderland defender, Younes Kaboul has said that leaving the Stadium of Light for new club Watford was a difficult decision to make.
Not an easy choice to make
It was a tough start to life on Wearside for the Frenchman, after his £3 million move from Tottenham Hotspur. However the defender's form improved massively with the arrival of both Sam Allardyce and Lamine Kone, with Kaboul becoming a crucial part in the Black Cats' eventual top-flight survival.
Though after 24 appearances on Wearside, Kaboul decided to move back down south, citing personal reasons for the decision.
Watford proved to be destination, signing a three-year deal with the Hornets, costing them £3.5m. The 30-year-old is expected to make his Watford debut in the EFL Cup against Gillingham, but the defender admitted that the decision to leave Sunderland didn't come easy.
"When the interest came, it was not an easy choice, to be fair,” Kaboul admitted. He firmly stated: “I had a great time at Sunderland. I’ve experienced a very good season there but I made a choice and now I’m looking forward to the season here and joining my new teammates.”
Kaboul told North East paper The Chronicle: “I spoke to them (Pantilimon and ex-Spurs teammate Etienne Capoue) and they were very positive about the development of the club, so that made me move with more confidence."
Push for confidence
It hasn't been start to the David Moyes era that many will have hoped, with disappointment both on and off the pitch.
The Black Cats will have the first chance of a first win on Wednesday, with Shrewsbury Town visiting the Stadium of Light in the EFL Cup, and Vito Mannone believes a win over Micky Mellon's side can lead to winning form in the league.
Mannone said: "We need to treat it like this, as a competitive game, as a league game again because we need to win on Wednesday if we want to win on Saturday."
The Italian was adamant, "You can't do badly on Wednesday and do perfectly on Saturday."
Sunderland AFC will take on Shrewsbury Town in the EFL Cup at the Stadium of Light on Wednesday, August 24 with kick-off at 7:45pm BST.