‘Really Instrumental’ – SD Talks Up Birmingham City New Boy’s Behind Scenes Influence | OneFootball

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Sunderland sporting director Kristjaan Speakman has talked up Birmingham City new boy Patrick Roberts’ ability to add to the behind the scenes culture and team spirit.

The 28-year-old joined Sunderland from Manchester City in 2022 and has helped Sunderland to gain two promotions in the last four seasons.

Roberts played a key role last season while featuring in a total of 48 games in the league and assisted a goal in the Championship playoff final against Sheffield United to get the Black Cats back to the Premier League, ending their long hiatus from the top tier.

Sunderland have brought in a host of players this summer to add to their line-up and Roberts could have struggled for games in Regis Le Bris’ side.

Birmingham City came calling for Roberts and the player sealed a deadline-day move to Blues on a season-long loan.

Speakman admitted that Roberts has been instrumental in Sunderland’s progress as a club in the last four seasons and talked up his behind the scenes influence, which Birmingham will now benefit from.

The Sunderland sporting director pointed out that when Roberts decided to join the Black Cats in 2022, they were not his obvious choice, but he still decided to come to the Stadium of Light and take the club where they belong, for which he added that the club will be grateful to the new Birmingham player.

“Look, it is really difficult when you talk about team spirit, you talk about culture and then you lose players that are instrumental in that”, Speakman told Sunderland’s official media.

“Patrick’s been really instrumental for us over the last four years.

“I think for him to take the chance to come to Sunderland in the first place where it probably was not an obvious choice and play the number of games he has, it is just not that you are looking for big players like that to affect big moments.

“I think if you look at both the Sheffield Wednesday game and then the final in May, they were really, really influential and he got the club back where it has to be.

“So it is a massive thanks to him and hopefully it is a good opportunity for him to go and play more regular games.”

The ex-Manchester City player has made 147 appearances for Sunderland so far in his career and now Birmingham will be looking to draw on every bit of his promotion winning experience.

Blues did go up from League One last term and have players who have got them over the line, but the Championship is a different kettle of fish.