Interest in Sunderland goalkeeper Anthony Patterson is heating up.
The 22-year-old has been a standout performer for Sunderland so far this season. He’s played in all 34 of their Championship fixtures this season, keeping 10 clean sheets in what is his first full season in the Black Cats’ first-team.
At the start of last month, reports emerged crediting both Leicester City and Wolves with an interest in Patterson, and yesterday, The Northern Echo revealed that Leicester are readying a formal bid for the youngster.
Price tag?
When The Sun linked Patterson with both Leicester City and Wolves last month, a £10million price tag was mentioned. But that was depending on whether Sunderland go up this season or stay in the Championship.
So with Sunderland slowly falling away from the play-off places, it seems like Patterson could be up for grabs in the summer, and so it seems like this apparent £10million price tag could come into play.
Sunderland’s stance on Patterson?
The Sun’s article seems to suggest that Sunderland would be open to selling Patterson, so long as their valuation is met. And when asked about the situation recently, Sunderland boss Tony Mowbray seemed to echo that stance, saying:
“You wouldn’t want to lose Dan Neil or Anthony Patterson at 21-years-old or so. You would hope that you could find a way, contractually, to secure them. But if the model becomes that we’re going to sell players along the way, then you hope that you get the top prices for them so that there is money to reinvest back into the team.”
For Sunderland then, their rebuild under Kyril Louis-Dreyfus isn’t as simple as buying players that fit their mould and building a squad for the future. It’s obviously going to involve some player sales along the way. Names like Ross Stewart, Dan Neil, and Patterson have enjoyed strong seasons in the Championship and all have been linked with moves away, which is inevitable.
For Mowbray and Sunderland, it could be a question of ensuring they get a good price for their players when interest really heats up.
