Sunderland have recently been linked with their first potential summer signing.
Sunderland may have a few gaps to in the first-team to plug this summer.
The Black Cats have several players attracting interest and the departures of players like Jack Clarke will leave huge voids in the side.
But the sales of these players could leave Kristjaan Speakman and Kyril Louis-Dreyfus, and whoever the next manager is, with a huge summer transfer kitty.
And already, one name has been linked with Sunderland, as a potential replacement for Anthony Patterson – Wigan Athletic and England U21 star Sam Tickle.
Sam Tickle career so far amid Sunderland links
Tickle, born in Warrington, has been with the Wigan Athletic youth academy since 2012, when he was age 10.
He’s since risen through the ranks and is now enjoying his breakthrough campaign with the Latics.
Tickle is the club’s no.1 goalkeeper and has featured 41 times in League One this season, keeping 13 clean sheets and even earning a spot in the Young Lions squad.
He made his debut for the England U21s against Luxembourg last month.
Sam Tickle current transfer value
Tickle, described as an ‘outstanding’ player by Wigan Athletic boss Shaun Maloney, has a current transfer value of €500,000 (or £428,000), as per Transfermarkt.
Of course, though, this value should be taken with a pinch of salt.
Alan Nixon says that Wigan Athletic will want a good fee for academy graduate Tickle, and with Sunderland holding out for £20million for Patterson, Wigan could up the price for Tickle.
Sam Tickle Wigan Athletic contract
Last year, Tickle signed a three-year contract extension at Wigan Athletic, meaning his current deal runs out in 2026.
At the end of last year though, it was revealed that Wigan wanted to further extend Tickle’s contract amid interest from the likes of Everton.
Sam Tickle profile
- Full name: Sam Tickle
- Age: 22
- Height: 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in)
- Nationality: English
- Date of birth: March 31st 2002
- Place of birth: Warrington, England
- Position: Goalkeeper
- Club: Wigan Athletic
Sam Tickle to Sunderland analysis
This potential signing certainly sounds very ‘Sunderland’.
He’s a young player who’s barely experienced, but that doesn’t necessarily mean he’d be a poor signing for the Black Cats.
Speakman has made his errors in the transfer market and a common theme seems to be signing players from overseas, with little experience of the English game.
Names like Luis Hemir and Nazariy Rusyn have failed to settle in and it could largely be down to neither player having prior experience of the Football League.
Tickle though, albeit after just one season in League One, could be better-able to bed in at Sunderland.
He’s shone in League One with links to the Premier League and an inclusion in the Young Lions squad testament to that.
Patterson is a big name to replace, and whether or not Tickle is a like-for-like replacement remains to be seen; Tickle boasts similar shot-stopping capabilities and his stats prove that.
This potential transfer feels like one that could really pay-off in the long run, though someone with more experience might be a better direct replacement for Patterson in the summer.