Alex Pritchard has broken his silence on his controversial Sunderland exit and reflected on his time at the club
Former Sunderland midfielder Alex Pritchard has spoken publicly for the first time about his controversial departure from the Stadium of Light earlier this year, insisting there is “no bad blood” between him and the club.
Pritchard’s January exit divided supporters, with many questioning the circumstances around his decision to leave Wearside. Speaking in a Q&A for Sunderland’s matchday programme, the 31-year-old explained his side of the story in full: “I’ve got no bad words to say about that.”
Pritchard added: “That was a private matter that was purely on things in my career that didn’t arise, but that’s the way football goes. That’s the way it works in life. People do a job and expect things but sometimes it doesn’t happen.
“Whenever I get a weekend back and moment, I want to come back and watch Sunderland. I played a part along with the rest of the boys to help get Sunderland moving back in the right direction and I’d love to see the club continue to progress. I’ve only got good things to say about Sunderland and the fans.”
Despite the way his departure unfolded, Pritchard was quick to highlight the pride he feels in what he achieved at the club. Over three seasons on Wearside, he made 115 appearances, helped guide Sunderland back to the Championship and played a key role in establishing them in the Premier League.
“That’s crazy that. I loved every minute of it. When I first walked through the door the club were in a bad moment. I felt the pressure that I could be one who could help the club to get back where it should be, and I just loved that pressure.
“It was also a personal motivation I’d just come off the back of a bad time in the year before, so there was an element of me feeling, ‘Do you know what, I can show people what I can do.’ I loved the team environment at Sunderland and some of those boys are still there. I don’t have any bad things to say about anything at Sunderland.”
Pritchard also reflected on one of the defining moments of his Sunderland career — the 2022 play-off final victory over Wycombe Wanderers at Wembley, where he was named Player of the Match. He said: “I’m not too sure if it was the best game I played for Sunderland, but it would be right up there.
“Going back to what I was saying about pressure, that game had enormous pressure. It was a massive moment. Imagining what it could have been like without it, because players might have moved on. We had momentum on our side. It was a moment in my football career and my life that I will never forget.”
The former Black Cats playmaker went on to praise the direction the club is taking under Régis Le Bris and said he remains proud of Sunderland’s journey back to the Premier League. He added: “After we were promoted from League One we were quietly confident in the Championship that we could hold our own.
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“We were lucky not to have back-to-back promotions which would have been amazing. I’m delighted that Sunderland are now back where they belong as a football club. The main thing is the fanbase. No disrespect to other teams but you can’t be in League One and getting crowds of 40,000. Sunderland were a sleeping giant but now they are back. They have momentum and things are going smoothly but of course there will be tough times as there always are.”
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