Luke O’Nien has shared an emotional message to Alex Pritchard after completing his move away from Sunderland.
Sunderland confirmed Alex Pritchard‘s permanent exit this morning, as he linked back up with Tony Mowbray at Birmingham City.
The midfielder’s future looked to be elsewhere when the club revealed Pritchard had refused to play against Stoke City at the weekend, and it wasn’t long before his move away from the Stadium of Light progressed.
The 30-year-old spent two and a half years with Sunderland and became a fan favourite, while he was clearly well loved in the dressing room too.
Luke O’Nien was one of the first players to address Pritchard’s exit, taking to Instagram to share his goodbyes.
In response to the midfielder’s emotional Instagram post, O’Nien wrote: “A man that delivered on multiple occasions for this club.
“Magician on the pitch and an incredible guy in the dressing room. Good luck and thank you.”
Why weren’t Sunderland keen on Alex Pritchard?
Alex Pritchard seemed to be loved by both fans and players at Sunderland – just not by the board.
He rarely started towards the end of Tony Mowbray’s tenure, yet the 60-year-old was desperate to sign him for Birmingham. Michael Beale clearly liked him too, yet the club weren’t prepared to offer him what he wanted.
It makes it very clear how much of a role Kristjaan Speakman plays in everything, because he obviously wasn’t fond of him and seemed to be the only person that didn’t.
The performance of Jobe, Pierre Ekwah and Dan Neil at the weekend was very promising though, and as long as they can keep it up then the criticism should remain at a minimal. The arrival of Callum Styles will hopefully help them out too.
The win over Stoke City certainly calmed people’s frustrations about the Pritchard situation, though it could get very icy if his absence comes blatant over the next few months.