Patrick Roberts has shared his honest view on Kristjaan Speakman after his Sunderland exit earlier this month
Patrick Roberts has paid tribute to departing sporting director Kristjaan Speakman, crediting him as a central figure in Sunderland’s return to the Premier League during one of the most significant periods in the club’s modern history.
Roberts joined Sunderland in January 2022, arriving in League One on an initial six-month deal with the option to extend. Within weeks he had scored his first goal in a 2-0 win over Crewe Alexandra, before netting the decisive strike in the second leg of the play-off semi-final against Sheffield Wednesday in May – sending Sunderland to Wembley and on course for promotion.
He would go on to sign a new two-year deal that summer after Sunderland secured Championship football via the play-offs, a commitment that marked the start of a four-year spell defined by revival and silver-laced memories. In that time came two promotions and three victories at Wembley Stadium, with Roberts central to some of the most pivotal moments. He supplied the assist for Eliezer Mayenda’s equaliser before Tommy Watson struck the winner against Sheffield United at Wembley, sealing Sunderland’s return to the top flight under Régis Le Bris and etching his name deeper into folklore.
Earlier this month, Speakman left Sunderland after overseeing that transformation, with Roberts also exiting on a permanent deal to Birmingham City the month before after an initial loan deal. Appointed in December 2020, Speakman led a comprehensive rebuild of the club’s football operations, reshaping recruitment strategy and performance infrastructure while restoring competitive momentum.
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His tenure included three wins at Wembley - among them Sunderland’s first victory at the national stadium since 1973 and two play-off final triumphs. With Premier League status restored and a strengthened football leadership structure in place, Sunderland opted to continue the journey without him with Florent Ghisolfi now leading the sporting programme, having assumed control of all football operations in July last year.
Speaking exclusively to The Echo, Roberts reflected on Speakman’s influence across that period. “Obviously, he was there the day I came in,” Roberts said. “It’s fair to say most of it was positive, but he had a few rocky times and it’s a tough position to be in - being the head of recruitment and overseeing how the football club runs.
“I think he’s done a great job in that sense and he’s helped get the club to where they are now. “Going in, I could see the vision he had through the owner and how they wanted to shoot up the leagues. I was just glad to be part of that. They rewarded me by keeping me on and I was able to be a big help in achieving that goal.
“He deserves a lot of credit. Over the past few years he’s been a big factor in promotion for Sunderland through the leagues and I’m sure many fans will be grateful for that. But the reality of football is people move on - that’s unfortunately what happens.”
Roberts also outlined what changed behind the scenes as Sunderland evolved from a League One rebuild into a Premier League club. “I think it was the right recruitment,” he added. “Sometimes you get it wrong, sometimes you hit the spot. There was real determination to get through the leagues - from the board, the owners, Kristjaan, the manager and the players, because ultimately the players have to go out on the pitch.
“Everyone knows the magnitude of the club. It was about the willingness to get over the line. You saw that at Wembley - it was amazing. Everything’s not perfect all the time, but there were a lot of good things. Now they’re in the Premier League and that’s come from a lot of determination and the right recruitment in terms of managers and players. It all plays a big part.”
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