Liverpool, Chelsea, Arsenal and Nottingham Forest 'looking at' Sunderland stopper
Sunderland goalkeeper Anthony Patterson is on the radar of ‘a lot of Premier League clubs’ this summer, according to journalist Graeme Bailey.
Patterson is not having his best season by any means, but his age profile, quality and fact he counts towards homegrown quotas will mean he’s a wanted man this summer.
According to Bailey, Nottingham Forest are very keen on the 23-year-old, but they will face competition from Liverpool, Chelsea and Arsenal who will all see Patterson as ideal back-up material.
Whether Patterson sees himself as a back-up, even at a top club, remains to be seen of course, and Sunderland are unlikely to let him go without a fight.
"We know Liverpool are looking around [for a goalkeeper] as well at potential new signings,” Bailey told Nottingham Forest news.
"Anthony Patterson at Sunderland is one who I imagine would be very high on the Forest radar as well and a lot of clubs in the Premier League are looking at him.
"Chelsea, Liverpool and Arsenal are looking at him, he’s homegrown and he’s a very good keeper so keep an eye on him as well."
Patterson is firmly established as the number one at Sunderland, his hometown club, and he still has more than four years to run on his current contract.
Former boss Tony Mowbray, though, was always adamant that Patterson has a huge future ahead of him in the game.
"He's obviously played in some pretty big football matches for the club and has done exceptionally well and continues to do exceptionally well,” Mowbray said last season.
"That's down to the personality really, the traits he brings, the calmness. Some goalies are a box of frogs always shouting about, jumping, screaming at everyone. And then you have a band of goalies who are super calm and cool and know how to do their job. Then you get brilliant goalies who are both.
"Anthony is just a big steady guy who is really good at keeping the ball out of his net and dealing with crosses. He has growth areas as you'd expect of a young goalkeeper, his distribution at times needs to be worked on and is getting worked on.
"But he doesn't have many, what I would call faults. It's amazing to think of what he's going to be like when he's 30 and has still got six to eight years still to play when he's so young now and so good at what he does. He obviously has a big future."
