Sunderland are impressing in the Championship at the moment, and one promising Black Cats talent has now extended his stay at the club with the future looking so bright.
Can Sunderland get promoted this season?
Tony Mowbray's side came agonisingly close to making it into the playoffs last season, in what was their first year back in the second tier after being promoted from League One. Instead of feeling sorry for themselves and failing to kick on, Sunderland again look like potential promotion candidates in 2023/24, start the campaign in impressive form after a slow start and now sitting fourth in the Championship heading into the weekend action.
Wednesday night's 3-1 victory away to Blackburn Rovers was another sign that the Black Cats could be one of the division's leading sides in the coming months, and next up is the visit of Cardiff City on Saturday afternoon, with the Welsh outfit currently in 10th place.
Everything seems to be going smoothly at the club under Mowbray, who continues to impress as manager, and while new signings will be important in January and next summer, it is just as vital to retain the services of key players moving forward. Sunderland have done exactly with one individual, following an exciting update that emerged on Friday.
When does Anthony Patterson's contract expire?
As reported by by James Hunter on X, starting shot-stopper Anthony Patterson has signed a new deal with Sunderland, keeping the goalkeeper at the club for another five years at least: "Anthony Patterson has signed a new deal with #safc keeping him on Wearside until the summer of 2028," with the news also confirmed on the club's official channels.
This is great news for Sunderland, considering what an important player Patterson has been already, making 84 appearances for the club since, not to mention starting all seven Championship matches in 2023/24 to date. At just 23 years of age, he is still very much a young player learning his game, so keeping him at the Stadium of Light ahead of his peak years is of the utmost importance, and he can continue to play a massive role at the club for a long time to come.
Mowbray himself is clearly a huge fan of Patterson and sees him as a key man, with the Sunderland manager recently saying of him: "The goalkeeper…listen, he's a top goalkeeper. I've been in football more than 40 years and this kid is a very talented boy who has an amazing temperament. Nothing fazes him, he's very calm about everything, he's not bouncing all over the place and losing the plot. He's a very calm goalie who makes great saves."
This perfectly outlines what a special 'keeper Sunderland have in their ranks, and he is going to be vitally important to the Black Cats' promotion charge this season, as he looks to continue being a model of consistency between the sticks on a weekly basis.
What this also does is ensure that Sunderland are in a healthy bargaining position when it comes to Patterson, should interest arrive from other clubs, namely those in the Premier League. If they want to sign him, they will have to spend big money.