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Sunderland goalkeeper pecking order confirmed after transfer call & Patterson talks

REGIS Le Bris has confirmed Robin Roefs is his new No.1 at Sunderland, with Anthony Patterson facing a battle to force his way back into the side.

Patterson played a key role in Sunderland's promotion last season and starred in the play-off final at Wembley, when he made an outstanding early save to deny Kieffer Moore.

But signing a new goalkeeper was still identified as a transfer priority on Wearside this summer, and, after missing out on a couple of targets, the Black Cats turned to Roefs.

The Netherlands Under-21 international played against Real Betis and in last Saturday's win at Augsburg, with Patterson returning to action after a knee injury to feature against Rayo Vallecano in Sunday's friendly.

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Patterson, 25, has played more than 150 league games for Sunderland and been No.1 since establishing himself in the second half of the 2021/22 season.

But it's Roefs who'll wear the gloves for tomorrow's Premier League opener against West Ham, with Le Bris confirming his goalkeeper pecking order.

"It's clear, we start with Robin," said the head coach, who called on Patterson to rise to the challenge of fresh competition at the Stadium of Light.

Asked about his talks with Patterson this summer, Le Bris said: "It's still ongoing, because we recruited a new goalkeeper to challenge this position.

"I think that was really important.

"At the same time, it's like for every player, you have to accept the challenge. If you take it positively you are in the right mood, so it's been really easy with all the players."

He added: "We've just had a short period of time to digest the new set-up, because the transfer window is unpredictable.

"We would like as a coach to have our squad ready from scratch but it's never the case.

"The balance of the competition, maybe it was a bit tough for the midfielders to start and for the wingers and strikers at the beginning it was easier. Now it's getting harder. And that was the case for the goalkeeper.

"I think every player in the squad knows now it's important to have the best team as possible to be competitive in the league."

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