Why Sunderland remains the best place for Anthony Patterson despite Leicester City and Wolves links

The latest Black Cats player to be linked with clubs higher up the football pyramid is goalkeeper Anthony Patterson, with Premier League sides Wolves and Leicester reportedly tracking the 22-year-old stopper.

Such reports come after a memorable 12 months for the Sunderland academy graduate, who was recalled from a loan spell at National League side Notts County, won promotion in a play-off final at Wembley and claimed the No 1 jersey ahead of this campaign.

Patterson, who signed a long-term deal on Wearside until 2026 in the summer, has started every Championship fixture this season, justifying the club’s decision not to sign a more experienced alternative.

The 22-year-old’s impressive performance against Fulham in the FA Cup, when he made an excellent double save to earn his side a replay, will have caught peoples’ attention – but just how important has the keeper been this season? And what does the future hold?

In terms of shot stopping, Patterson has saved 67.3% of the efforts he’s faced in the Championship this season (according to fbref.com) – meaning he’s ranked 20th in the division when comparing keepers who have played ten matches or more.

Patterson does fare better when it comes to Wyscout’s prevented goals metric, which takes into account the quality of chances goalkeepers have faced.

According to that measurement, Patterson is ranked ninth in the league when it comes to goals prevented by keepers this season, with the 22-year-old performing better than his expected goals against figure of 1.12 per game, conceding an average of 1.04 goals per game.

Still, while the primary objective is to keep the ball out of the net, there is more to goalkeeping than saving shots.

Only Rotherham’s Viktor Johansson has come off his line more times than Patterson in the Championship this season, with the Sunderland man often alert when it comes to sweeping up danger – as he did to deny Duncan Watmore against Millwall on Saturday.

And while coming and claiming crosses has been labelled a potential weakness in Patterson’s game, the 22-year-old – at 6 ft 2 tall - has shown big improvements in that area, holding multiple deliveries into the area against a physical Millwall last time out.

Still, while Patterson has proved himself at Sunderland over the last year and remains an bright up-and-coming goalkeeper, talk of a Premier League move still feels premature.

On Wearside he is part of a young, improving group, while playing regularly for a club and head coach who rate him highly.

While Patterson will surely have ambitions to play in the Premier League, a move to a top-flight club in the summer would run the risk of significantly reduced first-team exposure.

While there will likely come a day when Sunderland have to sell one of their highly-rated assets, Patterson’s progress over the last 12 months is a reflection of the opportunities on Wearside.

Right now, it still seems the best place for his development.