An update has emerged on Sunderland shot-stopper Anthony Patterson and interest in his services heading into the summer transfer window…
What’s the talk?
According to The Sun’s Alan Nixon, the Black Cats goalkeeper has caught the eyes of multiple clubs in the Premier League with his form for the club in the Championship.
Is Patterson worth more than £10m?
The report claims that Leicester and Wolves have both made the Englishman a ‘major’ target for the next window and will look to swoop for him ahead of the 2023/24 campaign.
It is stated that Sunderland have their own promotion ambitions but could cash in on the stopper for a fee in the region of £10m if they fail to make the step up to the top-flight this term.
Jordan Pickford 2.0
One of the biggest success stories to come out of the Academy of Light in recent years has been England and Everton number one Jordan Pickford.
The shot-stopper made his way through the youth set-up on Wearside before earning himself a regular place in the first-team for the club in the Premier League – making 35 senior appearances between 2015/16 and 2016/17.
His form for Sunderland in the top-flight convinced Everton to snap him up for a club-record fee that could rise to £30m, with a guaranteed £25m, in the summer of 2017.
Kristjaan Speakman could now replicate the masterclass the club played with Pickford by cashing in on Patterson in the summer, if Tony Mowbray’s side are unable to reach the Premier League.
The sporting director found the youngster a productive loan spell at Notts County last season, in which he kept three clean sheets in nine league appearances, before recalling him for Alex Neil to use in the second half of the campaign.
Patterson went on to use the experience he gained out on loan to become the first-choice at the Stadium of Light – playing 23 times in League One on the way to promotion via the play-offs.
This season, the 22-year-old, who journalist Josh Bunting hailed as “commanding“, has started 29 games in the Championship so far this season and averaged a Sofascore rating of 6.89 – saving 69% of the shots on goal and making zero errors leading to goals.
Speakman, Neil, and Mowbray have played a blinder with the academy graduate’s development, as evidenced by the gem’s form in the second tier and the interest in his services, and could now make him Pickford 2.0 by selling him to a Premier League side in the summer.
