This article is part of Football League World’s ‘The Verdict‘ series, which provides personal opinions from the FLW writers regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…
Leicester City and Wolverhampton Wanderers are reportedly both interested in signing Sunderland goalkeeper Anthony Patterson in the summer.
According to The Sun's Alan Nixon, the Premier League duo are both keeping tabs on Patterson and the Black Cats could cash in on him should they fail to secure promotion this season, valuing him at around £10 million.
Wolves head coach Julen Lopetegui supposedly sees Patterson as the ideal choice to become Jose Sa's long-term successor, while the 22-year-old is also thought to be on Foxes boss Brendan Rodgers' radar.
Patterson established himself as the Black Cats' number one last season as they won promotion from League One and he has remained a regular in the Championship, starting every league game so far this campaign.
We asked some of our FLW writers whether Patterson is ready to make the step up to the top flight.
James Reeves
It feels inevitable that Patterson will play in the Premier League in the not-too-distant future.
He has proven himself to be an incredibly capable and reliable performer between the sticks for the Black Cats, taking over as the club's first-choice last campaign and establishing himself since then.
Patterson has helped Tony Mowbray's side to eight clean sheets this season with his assured displays, while he has also contributed with some outstanding saves.
At just 22, he would be an excellent long-term investment for any top flight side and given how seamlessly he stepped up from the third tier, you would not bet against him doing the same again.
Toby Wilding
It does feel like there could be an argument to be made that Patterson is ready to make the step up to the Premier League.
The young goalkeeper has already coped with the step-up to senior football, and then to playing at Championship level, with little fuss, to quickly establish himself as one of Sunderland's most important players.
As a result, the adaptability he has shown in making those step ups from one standard to the next, you get the feeling that Patterson could also be capable of coping with the challenge of meeting the demands of playing in the Premier League.
Indeed, at 22-years-old, Patterson also has plenty of time to learn his way at this level, and become a long term asset for a club who might secure his services, meaning a deal may be worth pursuing.
Simmey Hannifin-Donaldson
He's a good young goalkeeper but I don't see a great rush to make a Premier League move just yet, not when Sunderland appear to be a club on an upward trajectory.
Personally, I think he'd struggle to displace Jose Sa at Wolves, so until he left, I wouldn't even entertain a switch to Molineux.
A move to Leicester, though, could be far more appealing, with Danny Ward the man currently holding the number one shirt there and a more realistic player Patterson could edge for that role.
However, Leicester are in a scrap for their Premier League survival at present, so they could well end up in the Championship themselves, which would make a move pointless.
Honestly, it does just feel that the best place for Patterson right now is Sunderland.