Sunderland are looking to agree a new long-term deal with keeper Anthony Patterson following their promotion to the Championship.

The 22-year-old spent the first half of the campaign on loan with Notts County but he returned to the Stadium of Light in January and established himself as the number one for the final part of the season, which included keeping a clean sheet in the play-off final win against Wycombe.

Therefore, it's perhaps no surprise that the Black Cats are looking to get the keeper tied down on a new contract, with The Sun confirming that talks have already taken place with the player and his representatives.

The update claims Patterson is in line for a fairly significant pay rise, as he is currently a low earner, whilst he should sign a lengthy deal.

It remains to be seen whether he is the number one under Alex Neil in the Championship, as the boss may want to bring in another stopper to provide further competition, but it's clear Patterson is part of his plans moving forward.

The verdict

This makes total sense for Sunderland and you'd have to say it's fully deserved for Patterson.

He came in at a crucial period of the season and there would've been big pressure on him to perform given the expectation at Sunderland was to win promotion.

But, he managed to cope with that well and he was key to the long unbeaten run that took them to the play-offs and then he also came up big for the side in those crucial games, which included a few key saves in the final at 1-0.

Thoughts? Let us know in the comments below.