Football

Tottenham Hotspur want Sunderland goalkeeper Anthony Patterson in January

Tottenham Hotspur have identified Sunderland goalkeeper Anthony Patterson as a potential January transfer target, according to the Sun journalist Alan Nixon.

Spurs need a replacement for the injured Guglielmo Vicario for the time being, and the England youth international, who has been touted as one of the best goalkeepers outside the Premier League, fits the bill.

They will now keep checking on Patterson for the rest of the year before deciding if the Black Cats star will be their emergency signing, with manager Ange Postecoglou interested in having another option in goal apart from Fraser Forster.

Burnley goalie James Trafford has also emerged as an option for Tottenham, while his Angers counterpart, Yahia Fofana, is on their radar too after some impressive performances in Ligue 1.

However, Patterson could emerge as their top target given his experience with English football, but it remains to be seen whether the 24-year-old would be open to playing second fiddle to Vicario going forward.

Manchester United and Liverpool have also been linked with him, but it is unknown whether Sunderland will be open to doing business over their first-choice goalie in January.

Patterson has featured in 14 out of their 18 Championship matches so far in 2024-25 and is currently playing a huge role in their push for Premier League promotion.

The Spurs target is one of the reasons Sunderland are fourth in the table at the moment, five points behind league leaders Sheffield United and three points off the automatic promotion places.

Losing such a key player heading into the second half of such an important campaign could be too much for the Black Cats to bear, and Tottenham may need to look elsewhere as Patterson could also fancy his chances of promotion with Sunderland.

He could prefer to remain at the Stadium of Light club until the end of the season before deciding on his future, and playing Premier League football will be top of his plans for 2025-26.