Lee Cattermole ‘to make’ Thomas Lavery his first Gateshead signing | OneFootball

Former Sunderland defender Thomas Lavery is set to be Lee Cattermole’s first recruit at Gateshead.

According to Sunderland Echo, the right-back is closing in on a free transfer after his release earlier this summer.

Lavery joined Sunderland at the age of nine and came through the Academy of Light, featuring regularly for the under-18 and under-21 sides. He marked his under-21 debut in September 2023 with a late comeback winner against Aston Villa, and was named on the first-team bench three times in the 2023-24 Championship season.

He made 24 appearances across the under-21 and under-18 teams in 2024-25 but was not retained as part of the club’s academy release decisions this summer.

A move to the National League would give Lavery his first crack at regular senior football under Cattermole, who was appointed Gateshead boss this summer after a spell in Sunderland’s youth set-up.

If completed, it would be Cattermole’s first addition as he shapes his squad for the new campaign.

Source: Sunderland Echo