The official line is, the Black Cats rejected a £5million deadline day bid from Stoke City for the 25-year-old.
Gus Poyet says it was Sunderland owner Ellis Short, who ultimately pulled the plug on the deal.
Gus Poyet: “The chairman has been exceptional.
“It’s very easy for people to talk well about the chairman, but I’m just saying what is true.
“I had a good chat before I started. I made things clear of what I wanted to do.
“He was happy with it and I said I needed to prove things before asking – as I did with the fans.
“It was a big decision with Lee and it was a credit to the chairman.
“The question was ‘do you need Lee Cattermole?’ I said yes I do. ‘Well he’s going nowhere,’ he said.
“That doesn’t happen a lot in football because it was not easy to turn down that offer.
“That’s when you need someone to ask you the right question at the right time.”