Patrick Roberts says Sunderland’s decision to move on from Dan Neil and Anthony Patterson reflects the reality of Premier League football
Patrick Roberts has delivered his verdict exclusively to The Echo on Sunderland’s decision to move on from a number of double promotion winners - including himself, Dan Neil and Anthony Patterson.
The trio were central figures across Sunderland’s rise back to the Premier League, but last summer marked a decisive turning point as the club prioritised evolution over sentiment in a bid to consolidate at the top level.
Roberts initially joined Birmingham City on loan before making the move permanent in January, seeking regular football after finding opportunities limited. Neil is currently on loan at Ipswich Town with his Sunderland contract set to run out, while Patterson was replaced as Sunderland’s No 1 by Robin Roefs and is now gaining minutes on loan at Millwall.
For Roberts, the decisions were tough but understandable. “I think it's just the reality of football,” he said. “I've been in it a long time and I know what it's like. Clubs obviously, especially after getting promoted, want to improve and want to build on what they've done and they obviously don't want to go back down and the club have done that. As players, you can always work hard but sometimes maybe you just may not get in and that's just the way it is. I think to go to the next level, Sunderland need to do that from a certain point of view.”
Sunderland’s recruitment drive reflected a club determined not simply to participate in the Premier League but to compete. That inevitably meant difficult calls on players who had helped deliver double promotion success. Roberts admitted there was sadness attached. “It's quite sad but at the end of the day, you know what football is like and you've got to go out there and whoever you're playing for, give your best,” he continued.
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“I was surprised in a way at start they had, but I wasn't surprised because I knew what the manager was like, I knew what the fans were like and I knew they could do big things in the Premier League like they did before. It was a bit sad but at the same time it is the reality of football and I'm no stranger to that.”
For the winger, who enjoyed some of the most consistent football of his career on Wearside, there is no sense of bitterness - only acceptance of the cycle. “You accept that and it is what it is and you go to another club and you obviously try and do your best and do something elsewhere, and that's what I'm trying to do and other lads are trying to do as well. I think it's just the reality of football but it doesn't take away from the last year we had or the last couple of years I've had. It doesn't take that away. It just builds another experience to us personally and to move on to other clubs.”
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