Sunderland have signed goalkeeper Lee Burge after he left League One rivals Coventry City.

The keeper joined The Black Cats after his contract expired with the Sky Blues, the club he had been at since he was 11 years of age.

Burge was deemed surplus to requirements by manager Mark Robins who has already placed him with Marko Marosi from Doncaster Rovers. He made 160 appearances for Coventry, including 100 in League One, and kept a total of 22 clean sheets.

The 26-year-old has also lifted the EFL Trophy is 2017 and later returned to Wembley one season later and won promotion to League One via the play-offs.

Speaking about his arrival he said: “This is a club that can offer me everything I want, and the stature of the club is incredible.

“As a player, you want to train at the best facilities and play in the best stadiums, and this is by far the best place I have experienced.

“I just can’t wait to get going.”

Sunderland manager Jack Ross also explained why he was pleased to bring the stopper in.

“I’m delighted to welcome Lee to Sunderland AFC. It was an area we were looking to strengthen, and as you can see from his record, he boasts a wealth of experience within the Football League.

The Verdict

Despite Burge being an academy graduate, he hasn't always had the backing of every Coventry fan and didn't have the greatest season last year.

He pulled off some great saves, and went through some good spells, but was caught making too many errors at times.

However, it seems unlikely that he will get in ahead of Jon McLaughlin at the Stadium of Light so he arrived as a good backup for the Black Cats with his experience at this level.

It's now down to the player to prove himself in training to push the number one.

Thoughts? Let us know in the comments below.