​It feels strange to reflect on what we know now, but on this day in 1999 German international Thomas Helmer completed his move to Sunderland. The 34-year-old central defender had only weeks earlier been part of the Bayern Munich squad that had been beaten by Manchester United in the Champions League final. He had also represented his country at two World Cups, and Sunderland manager Peter Reid said Helmer would bring invaluable experience to the squad. Helmer joined Sunderland on a Bosman free transfer and immediately linked up with his new teammates for the tour in Denmark. Before leaving Bayern, he had spells with Arminia Bielefeld and Borussia Dortmund, so this move to Wearside marked his first venture outside Germany as he spoke about the transfer: I am looking forward to joining my team-mates in Denmark and helping Sunderland perform well in the Premier League next season. I could have joined Liverpool six months ago, but I felt the time was not right for me or my family. As soon as I heard of Sunderland’s interest I came straight over and was very impressed with the Stadium of Light and what the manager had to say. Reid hailed the capture of a player who had 68 international caps and had made 385 appearances in the Bundesliga. Helmer had also played in USA ’94 and France ’98 World Cups, and was part of the Germany squad that won Euro 96 in England. Given his track record, Reid was clearly pleased: Thomas will bring invaluable experience to the squad and is exactly what I’ve been looking for to strengthen our defence. He will provide a real challenge to some of the Premiership’s strikers. It was a telling line at the time: strange knowing what we know now.
Also on this day in 1999, Swedish international midfielder Stefan Schwarz was set to meet Sunderland boss Peter Reid in Denmark to discuss what reports described as a £3 million move to the Stadium of Light. The 30-year-old midfielder was due to link up with Reid at Sunderland’s Denmark tour base in Vejle, close to Schwarz’s home in Malmö, Sweden. Schwarz was then plying his trade with Valencia but had previously spent time in English football during a one-season spell at Arsenal, so Reid’s interest carried weight. We were told: We are very interested in Stefan Schwarz and hope to hold talks.
All of this news offered reassurance to Sunderland supporters as they prepared for life in the Premier League, coming hot on the heels of the shock transfer of record signing Lee Clark and the transfer listing of Allan Johnston and Michael Bridges. On the Bridges situation, Leeds United remained tight-lipped on this day in 1999 about any further progress to sign Bridges, who had rejected a £5 million move to Tottenham Hotspur a week earlier. Sunderland, meanwhile, planned to hold fresh discussions with Bridges, then 20 years old, while Leeds had already tabled a bid in the region of £4 million, a figure that followed the club’s £4.5 million capture of Michael Duberry from Chelsea a day earlier. Elland Road chairman John Ridsdale spoke in the midst of all the chatter about the club’s transfer plans.