Paolo Di Canio: 'Stephane Sessegnon wanted to leave'

Sunderland manager Paolo Di Canio has said that he sold Stephane Sessegnon because the Benin international no longer wanted to be at the Stadium of Light.

The 29-year-old was flogged to West Bromwich Albion in a deal worth around £6m on transfer deadline day, despite the Italian coach initially wanting him to stay in the North-East.

Di Canio explained that the final straw was Sessegnon being arrested for drink driving on the night of the Black Cats' 4-2 League Cup victory over the MK Dons.

"It is clear that we didn't push him out because ten days, two weeks before I said I would keep him," the Daily Mail quotes Di Canio as saying. "He had a very good pre-season and in the first two games you can play badly but the body language was not of a player who wants to give his best.

"It was the cup, we hadn't won a game and everybody was at the stadium. After quarter of an hour, at the same time that we conceded a goal, my player was out somewhere and was found.

"It means you don't care. It means you don't care nothing about the club so your time is gone. It was the opportunity to say for everybody, and especially for him, ok, time to go. For this reason he left, not because he is a bad guy because he tried to give his best but in my opinion, his time was finished at Sunderland."

Sessegnon's work permit came through yesterday, which means that he could make his Baggies debut against his former club on Saturday.