Image Credits: Imago Images
Liverpool fans know how quickly a goalkeeper situation can change.
One week you are a guaranteed starter.
Next week, you are watching from the bench because a new signing has settled fast.
That is the story of a 25-year-old stopper who has been a mainstay at Sunderland AFC for years.
The goalkeeper who was once linked to Liverpool first appeared for the club in 2020 and became first choice after returning from a short loan at Notts County in January 2022.
He then played through a successful play-off run as Sunderland beat Wycombe Wanderers 2-0 to reach the Championship.
He kept that role for seasons, making 50 appearances in Sunderland’s first year back in the second tier and playing 46 times in 2023/24.
Last season, he played 45 matches and kept 14 clean sheets, helping Sunderland win a play-off final against Sheffield United at Wembley Stadium.
But this season, his minutes disappeared after Robin Roefs arrived and quickly became number one under Regis Le Bris.
He has not played a single minute of Premier League football in the current campaign.
That made a move feel inevitable, but only after Sunderland secured a replacement, completing a £3m deal for Melker Ellborg from Malmo FF.
Millwall have now officially signed Anthony Patterson on a season-long loan until the end of the 2025/26 campaign.
He joins Alex Neil’s side and will reunite with former Sunderland team-mate Tommy Watson.
Liverpool fans will remember Patterson’s name from two summers ago, when he was linked with a possible move to Anfield.
Former Premier League midfielder and pundit Carlton Palmer claimed Liverpool were “very, very keen” on the Sunderland goalkeeper, with Manchester City also monitoring him amid uncertainty around Ederson’s future.
Palmer suggested Patterson was “well coveted” by top clubs and believed he was destined for the top flight, while also noting the player would want to remain a number one.
At the time, Palmer added that any deal would likely take a fee “in excess of £15 million,” even though Liverpool had already promoted Vitezslav Jaros into the first-team group.
Millwall’s director of football Steve Gallen said, “I am delighted to welcome Anthony to the football club.”
He added, “He has big-game experience under his belt and he was ever-present for Sunderland last year.”
“He will now link-up with the goalkeeping department and add competition with regards to a starting position.”
“There were a lot of clubs interested in Anthony, so I am very pleased that he selected us.”
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