Sunderland have signed Patrick Roberts on a PERMANENT basis from Manchester City

Sunderland have announced the permanent signing of Manchester City playmaker Patrick Roberts.

The 24-year-old was set to be out of contract at the Etihad at the end of the season and has cut short a season-long loan deal with Ligue 1 side Troyes to sign a six month deal at the Stadium of Light.

City had paid Fulham around £12m for his services back in the summer of 2015, and he made his debut against Sunderland in a 4-1 win for the visitors during a League Cup tie at the Stadium of Light.

However, Roberts only made a handful of appearances for City and spent most of his time there out on loan, at the likes of Derby County, Girona, Middlesbrough and Norwich City but it was his spell at Celtic where he really showed what he was capable of, scoring 18 and providing 26 assists in 78 appearances for the Scottish club.

His most recent loan spell, with Troyes, wasn’t as successful but he did make his Ligue 1 debut versus French giants Lyon back in September.

Speaking to SAFC.com, Roberts said:

I can’t wait to get going. I came to the game against Sheffield Wednesday a few weeks ago to get a feel for it and it was great to watch – and something that I wanted to be a part of. The fans want you to do well and work hard every matchday and that pressure and expectation is something I thrive off. I just want to do well for the people that support me and get Sunderland back to where they belong.

Lee Johnson added:

Patrick is a player that we have always kept our eyes on over the years because he really is a top talent. This is an amazing opportunity – for him and the club – to give him the love he requires at a standard whereby we think he can excel and then come with us to the next level. He thrives on the big occasion and the beauty of Sunderland is that there is a big occasion every three days. We hope that this is the place he calls home for a number of years.