Supporters of Sunderland will be hoping that their uber-confident Black Cats squad can win three straight championship games today, but they also know that Burnley, led by Scott Parker, will be extremely difficult to beat.
The Clarets are coming into the match at the Stadium of Light with a similarly high level of confidence after scoring an incredible nine goals in their first two league games. This might be a barnstorming early season encounter.
Regis Le Bris, who has been impressed by the seasoned winger since taking over, will be hoping Patrick Roberts maintains his excellent form in the second tier against the cunning visitors from Lancashire, to give his new team a chance to make it three spectacular league triumphs in a row.
Patrick Roberts’ early season form
Before the 24/25 season began, the former Celtic attacker needed to establish himself. He had a difficult time producing last season, recording only two assists from 32 league games and failing to score at all.
But Roberts has already contributed a goal to the score in the two matches so far, and under Le Bris’ direction, the Sunderland number ten is once again a vital member of the starting lineup.
Roberts, who stood out to the former manager of Lorient in a recent interview for his upbeat demeanour, is a man who is no longer constrained by the difficulties of the previous season, as evidenced by his devastating performance in Sunderland’s 4-0 annihilation of Sheffield Wednesday.
The 27-year-old forward was a continual nuisance for his marker throughout the game, attempting four dribbles and scoring four goals on James Beadle’s net. He was a constant source of frustration for the Owls all afternoon.
His primary contribution on the day was to assist Dennis Cirkin’s opening goal, which came just before players like Eliezer Mayenda took over and scored his first goal as a senior in the convincing victory.
Due to Sunderland’s incredible start, the transfer saga surrounding Alexandre Mendy has suddenly taken a backseat. The Black Cats have recently made a bid of approximately £2 million for the SM Caen sharpshooter.
Le Bris and company, however, may not even require the extra firepower of the current Ligue 2 golden boot winner given that players like Roberts, whose price tag is higher than that of the desired Frenchman, are giving the Black Cats’ current crop of strikers several opportunities.
Roberts’ transfer value in 2024
Football Transfers estimates that Roberts is currently worth a whopping £3.1 million, with Sunderland continuing to gain significantly from the free transfer agreement that brought the former Manchester City player to the Stadium of Light back in 2022.
During his prime, Roberts was referred to as a “magic” player by former Sunderland manager Tony Mowbray. Roberts scored five goals and provided seven assists during the 2022–2023 season, which saw the Wearside team qualify for the playoffs.
| Roberts’ values since joining Sunderland | |
|---|---|
| Date | Value |
| August 2024 | £3.1m |
| January 2024 | £5.3m |
| November 2023 | £3.2m |
| March 2023 | £2.2m |
| December 2022 | £937k |
| January 2022 | £0 |
| Sourced by Football Transfers | |
Le Bris will hope to match such figures for the duration of the upcoming season, as Sunderland looks to repeat as a play-off team. He has the ability to surpass this outstanding productivity.
Even when Mayenda broke through with the men’s squad, the priority was still finding a new striker. Wilson Isidor signed a season-long loan with the team, which was probably a smarter choice than spending millions on Mendy.
Roberts, who experienced a confidence problem during the previous campaign, will want to continue demonstrating his value to Sunderland’s cause regardless of what transpires on the transfer front.
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