Divisive Sunderland AFC player Patrick Roberts backed despite "serious issue" | OneFootball

FLW's Sunderland fan pundit weighed in with his most unpopular opinion about his club at the moment

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

Patrick Roberts tends to cut a divisive figure at Sunderland these days, but the polarising winger still retains the backing of certain supporters despite enduring a frustrating couple of seasons.

The one-time Fulham and Manchester City prodigy joined Sunderland from Pep Guardiola's side in January 2022 and instantly endeared himself on Wearside by helping the side to promotion to the Championship in his first half-season.

Roberts then dazzled in the second-tier as Sunderland made it all the way to the playoff semi-finals, with his haul of five goals and seven assists representing a best-ever campaign in English football for the wide-man.

However, Roberts has failed to replicate that sort of output ever since. He failed to score in any of his 32 Championship appearances in what was a bitterly disappointing season at the Stadium of Light last time out, and has found the back of the net on just two occasions under Regis Le Bris this term.

Wide players such as Manor Solomon, Dan James, Gus Hamer - albeit out of position - and Ben Brereton Diaz are all contributing regularly infront of goal for former automatic promotion rivals in Leeds United and Sheffield United, and one must wonder how much of an impact that has played in Sunderland's failed attempt for a top-two spot in recent times.

Patrick Roberts defended at Sunderland AFC

FLW asked our Sunderland fan pundit, Jack Austwicke, to reveal one unpopular opinion he holds about his club. Jack described his backing for Roberts, who has been subjected to strong criticism from supporters over the last few months.

He believes Roberts, widely-known for his mesmeric dribbling ability and once dubbed 'the English Messi' as a teenager, is an extremely talented player, which makes his perpetual lack of end product all the more frustrating.

"My unpopular opinion at Sunderland right now is that I'm probably among a small minority of people still defending Patrick Roberts," Jack told FLW.

"The winger has scored nine goals in a Sunderland career spanning over three years, it's not good enough and needs to be addressed. But I will defend that man to the hilt because technically, he is one of our most capable players.

"His dribbling ability is brilliant and I think he still creates a lot of chances, even if it's indirectly so he doesn't get the stats to go along with it.

"But the finishing is a serious issue and it frustrates me because I think there's such a good player in there.

"But that's where I'm on the side of a minority."

Sunderland AFC may need to source Patrick Roberts transfer upgrade this summer

Sunderland are nailed-on to secure a top-six finish and can still harbour ambitions of playing in the Premier League come August, even if their automatic promotion bid has now dissipated. But regardless of what division they find themselves in, an upgrade may well be required on Roberts.

Roberts is precociously talented and, by sheer measure of his one-v-one quality, is one of the most exciting and gifted wingers the Championship has to offer.

He's as good as anyone on the ball, but, barring a productive loan stay at Celtic, his career has long been hindered by an inability to consistently score and directly create goals.

These days in the Championship, most of the top sides have wingers regularly deciding games and finishing moves off. James at Leeds, for example, may not be waltzing past opponents for 90 minutes, but will routinely have a decisive impact when it matters most and has registered 10 goals and nine assists under Daniel Farke this term.

At 28, it's not likely that Roberts is going to improve this area of his game all that much. The winger, of course, still has many redeeming qualities and could certainly play a part in a fresh promotion push in 25/26, should Sunderland fail to go up this year, but upgrading the right flank with another attacker capable of offering more firepower could be a priority for Le Bris.