£20m-rated: Celtic defeats Arsenal and Liverpool’s interest in Sunderland star – transfer status explained.

£20m-rated: Celtic defeats Arsenal and Liverpool’s interest in Sunderland star – transfer status explained.

The goalkeeping situation at Sunderland is worth watching before the summer transfer window opens.

Since being brought in to replace Ron-Thorben Hoffmann midway through the team’s final season in League One,

Anthony Patterson has been Sunderland’s well-deserved number one under Alex Neil.

The North Shields native goalie has since appeared in 104 league games for the Black Cats.

109 if playoff games are taken into account.

Due to Patterson’s impressive tenure in Sunderland’s first team, rumors of him leaving for Arsenal, Liverpool,

or Celtic in the summer transfer window have begun to surface.

The goalie’s worth has been estimated by some sources to be between £10 and £20 million.

The Echo is aware that the three are genuinely interested.

Patterson is regarded as a very valuable asset for a number of reasons.

First off, Patterson is a native of the UK and might assist Premier League teams in meeting their homegrown requirement.

Secondly, he possesses immense talent.

In addition to his exceptional shot-stopping skills,

he has recently developed a stronger physical presence and better awareness of his penalty area.

Under duress, Patterson is also able to produce amazing saves.

Consider Wycombe Wanderers’ Sam Vokes’ opportunity at Wembley.

Patterson has a respectable record of avoiding penalties as well.

Of course, there is still improvement to be made in other areas of Patterson’s game, such as his distribution and kicking.

At only 23, Patterson is still comparatively young for a goalkeeper, and he has more time to mature.

An interesting parallel is offered by his goalkeeping colleague from the North East,

Nick Pope, an outstanding Premier League number one and England international.

Pope was a League Two player for York City at the same age.

Aside from his 134 senior games, Patterson’s other strength is his frequent performance in front of almost 40,000 fans at Sunderland, where he occasionally plays under pressure.

Other elite teams in the UK are interested in Patterson because of his composed demeanor and capacity to compete at such a large club.

However, the Echo is aware that Patterson is neither actively seeking a move nor anticipating leaving.

Being a lifelong Sunderland supporter, Patterson is happy to continue playing for the team.

But, just because a player is content right now does not guarantee that he will stick around this summer.

Patterson’s camp would probably need to be persuaded that the purchasing club had a clear plan for him if he were to depart Sunderland in search of a fresh challenge.

For example, Patterson would probably become an experienced player’s backup on a move to Liverpool or Arsenal, behind players like David Raya and Alisson.

However, it could be challenging for Sunderland to hang onto their man if Patterson was promised starts in league and cup games during the season with the goal of his becoming the first choice over a few years.

However, Sunderland is safeguarded by the long-term contract that Patterson signed in October of last year, which is valid through the summer of 2028.

If a significant offer were made for Patterson, however, Sunderland might accept.

The club’s current business model is to develop and upskill players before selling them for a high price and reinvesting the proceeds. Though many would argue that ploy has gone awry in recent windows,

the goal is to use shrewd player sales and recruitment to close the gap to those Championship sides with Premier League parachute money.

Patterson is an academy graduate, so any deal would be all profit for Sunderland and would go against the EFL’s financial regulations.

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