Southampton have submitted a late bid for Sunderland forward Patrick Roberts, and a fresh report has detailed his club’s stance on a move to St. Mary’s.
What age is Patrick Roberts?
Roberts is 26 years of age and has been playing his football in the northeast since January 2022 having moved there from Manchester City where he’s gone on to make a total of 68 senior appearances, but there’s a strong possibility that he could be on the move before tonight’s transfer deadline.
The Black Cats’ right-winger will be out of contract in less than a year meaning that now may well be seen as the perfect opportunity for Tony Mowbray's side to cash in, should he not want to risk losing his prized asset for free, and having emerged as the manager's top-performing offensive player last season according to WhoScored, he’s caught the eye of Russell Martin on the south coast.
The Sun’s Alan Nixon reported last month that the Saints had earmarked the 26-year-old as an ideal summer target, with his former side Celtic also credited with an interest, and the journalist stated that the Championship outfit were soon set to make a decision regarding the future of England’s ex-youth international.
Are Southampton signing Patrick Roberts?
According to Sky Sports’ Transfer Centre, Sunderland have “received an offer” from Southampton for Roberts, which is believed to be in the region of £5m, an initial £3m up front with £2m guaranteed in add-ons. The Black Cats are reportedly “considering” the proposal, with no full decision on whether to accept or reject having yet been made.
Martin’s side have already agreed a £10m package for his teammate Ross Stewart, but the two deals are “separate”, hence why it’s taking slightly longer than usual.
How many goals has Patrick Roberts scored?
In the Championship last season, Roberts racked up 12 goal contributions (seven assists and five goals) for Sunderland, form which saw him receive four man-of-the-match awards from WhoScored, but regardless of whether the ball hits the back of the net or not, he always poses a constant threat.
The CAA Base Ltd client, who is naturally left-footed, ranks in the 99th percentile for successful take-ons, showing that he loves to dribble past his marker and produce moments of quality where he averaged 4.77 shot-creating actions per second-tier game during the previous campaign, which was more than any other of his fellow teammates, via FBRef.
Sponsored by Adidas, the attacker has also been deployed in a remarkable nine various positions over the grass since first bursting onto the scene, including everywhere across the frontline, four roles in the midfield and even at right-back, so he could provide the boss with some welcome versatility.
Finally, Roberts has been hailed a “magic” player on the ball by journalist Josh Bunting for the exciting talent and creativity that he brings to the pitch, so if the hierarchy are able to get a double deal over the line for him and Stewart, it could be a massive coup for Southampton as they look to return to the top-flight at the first time of asking.