The new board at Sunderland have sanctioned the highest transfer fee for a goal keeper in Britain, the nine million pound deal is more than a million more than Manchester United paid for French World Cup and European Championship winner Fabian Barthez.

Gordon has signed a contract that ties him to the Black Cats for five years. Manager Roy Keane will hope that this huge financial investment will pay off over the course of the season, and that Gordon will make the important saves to score the points that justify his price tag. Gordon may feature at the Stadium of Light on Saturday where he will play against his England counterpart Paul Robinson, although the Spurs front line might put the Scotsman under more pressure than the Sunderland strikers will put Robinson under.