Pundit Carlton Palmer has given his verdict on the future of Sunderland goalkeeper Anthony Patterson.
Patterson, 23, has once again been a mainstay in the Sunderland XI.
He’s the only player in the entire Championship to have played every minute since the start of the 2022/23 season.
Since then, he’s made 90 Championship appearances, with 27 clean sheets to his name.
This season has been a tough one for all involved at Sunderland, and Patterson has had some rare critics too.
But he’s still seen plenty of transfer interest emerging.
Transfer interest in Anthony Patterson at Sunderland
The likes of Liverpool have perhaps been more closely linked than others.
And reports emerging earlier this moth revealed that the Reds are still keen on the Sunderland academy man, along with a number of other clubs.
It’s now said that Arsenal, Celtic, Leeds United, and Leicester City have all made checks on Patterson this season, ahead of a potential summer move.
Numerous reports have claimed that Sunderland may command up to £20million for the shot-stopper.
Carlton Palmer issues Anthony Patterson to Celtic verdict
And speaking on the situation regarding Patterson at Sunderland, pundit Palmer told Football League World:
“One name that has been mentioned quite a lot last summer and at Christmas is their goalkeeper, Anthony Patterson, who has been a consistent performer for the club.
“Celtic are a massive club, a huge club, a very good manager in Brendan Rodgers, European football. Of course, that would be something that you would not be able to turn down. Celtic would have to part with the best part of £15-20 million for Anthony Patterson, and I could see him leaving Sunderland to play in the Scottish Premiership, and then, if he is still young enough, he can come back to the Premier League.
“If he is available, I think there will be a few clubs in the Premier League who will be looking to take him on a permanent basis. A very, very talented goalkeeper.”
Will Celtic sign Anthony Patterson this summer
£20million for Paterson would make him Celtic’s biggest-ever signing.
Last season, the Scottish giants shelled out £16.2million on Jota, and have spent close to £10million on names like Odsonne Edouard and Christopher Jullien in more recent seasons.
So it’s not completely beyond possibility that Celtic smash their transfer record for Patterson, though it certainly seems unlikely.
They’ll also have to consider the sell-on value; there’s been very few occasions where a Premier League team for example spends more than £20million on a player from the Scottish league.
It’s certainly a growing league in terms of quality.
But for Patterson, the Championship may be just as much of a challenge, if not more of a challenge, so moving to Celtic may feel like something of a sideways step right now.
A Premier League move might suit him better.
But from a Sunderland point of view, they might not care which clubs comes in, as long as a club comes in with a suitable offer.
There’s a lot for Patterson to weigh up this summer, but contrary to Palmer’s comments, it doesn’t look like a move to Celtic is all that likely right now.
