Sunderland paid more than £5 million for Kevin Kilbane .
Kilbane was Albion 's first £1 million player , breaking a club transfer record which had stood since 1979.This heralded in a bright new era for Kilbane , as he quickly became a fan favourite at The Hawthorns and at the same time broke into the Irish international setup. In December 1999 , Peter Reid 's Sunderland paid £2.5 million for the left winger , making him the third most expensive club signing at the time .
Kevin Kilbane