Sunderland are flying high this season, which means a lot of their players are being looked at by top clubs in the Premier League.
While results have slipped a little of late, Sunderland are still sitting in the top three of the Championship table after Tuesday’s draw against West Brom.
Regis Le Bris has made it clear his players need to improve in front of goal, but there is actually one player who’s struggling in a different area.
Anthony Patterson had very little to do in the game against West Brom, but it was still painfully obvious that a key aspect of his game needs work.
Anthony Patterson’s passing has been disappointing
Patterson has been ‘unbelievable’ between the sticks this season for the Black Cats, and is undoubtedly the number one goalkeeper for Regis Le Bris.
But, in the game against West Brom, Patterson continued to struggle with his distribution, and this major weakness in his play could become a huge concern down the line.
Of his 25 passes on the night, Patterson managed a 68% success rate (17 out of 25 finding their destination), while just five of his 13 long balls reached their target.
| Statistics | Anthony Patterson vs WBA |
|---|---|
| Passing accuracy | 68% |
| Long ball success | 38% |
| Run out success | 100% |
| Touches | 30 |
| Saves | 0 |
On one occasion, Patterson tried playing out from the back but miscued his pass and invited West Brom onto Sunderland in a dangerous position. While nothing came of that incident, on another day, the Black Cats could easily have been punished.
Premier League clubs are looking at Anthony Patterson
A number of Premier League clubs have already shown an interest in Sunderland academy graduate Patterson.
Manchester United are thought to be keen on Patterson, while Man City and Liverpool have also been mooted as potential suitors for the Sunderland stopper.
However, all those teams — indeed, most teams in the Premier League — like to play out from the back, and that is now a key thing managers look for when eyeing up new goalkeepers.
If Patterson can’t improve this aspect of his game, not only will he get found out at Championship level, but he will get overlooked by the top clubs once they do their due diligence on him.