Derby County ready to swerve potential £10m Sunderland transfer | OneFootball

Derby County have previously been linked with a deal for the Sunderland goalkeeper

Derby County narrowly missed out on a play-off place last season as the team finished eighth in the table.

The Rams lost to Sheffield United on the final day of the Championship campaign, leaving them four points adrift of sixth place Hull City, who went on to win promotion.

John Eustace will be hoping he can oversee another top eight finish next year, with the play-offs expanding to include another two teams from 2027.

The summer transfer window offers the club a chance to improve the first team squad after the side rose from 20th to eighth over the last 12 months.

Derby invested last year, making big name signings like Patrick Agyemang, Derry Murkin, Lewis Travis and Rhian Brewster.

One player that the Derbyshire outfit have been linked to going into the upcoming market is Anthony Patterson in what could be another busy period at Pride Park.

How Derby County feel about Anthony Patterson deal

It has been reported by Derbyshire Live that Derby are not keen on spending £8 to 10 million to sign Patterson this summer.

It’s been claimed that Sunderland are demanding that kind of fee in order to cash in on the goalkeeper following his loan spell with Millwall.

However, Eustace’s side are not willing to spend that much on an area that isn’t being prioritised at the moment.

The Rams have already extended the contracts of Josh Vickers and Richard O’Donnell, with both shot-stoppers stepping into the team this season.

Meanwhile, first-choice option Jacob Widell Zetterstrom still has 12 months remaining on his deal.

Zetterstrom was previously linked with a move away from the Championship side, but he was out of action through illness for much of the second half of the campaign.

The Swede made a total of 32 appearances in the league for Eustace’s team, but spent three months out of the starting lineup in the second half of the term.

He made his return to the side on 18 April when he started in the 1-0 win over Oxford United, which was the first of four games in a row for the side.

Patterson joined Millwall on loan in the January window, making 14 appearances in the regular campaign as the Lions earned a third place finish in the table.

Alex Neil’s side failed to win promotion in the play-offs, but the goalkeeper previously helped Sunderland win their place in the Premier League in 2025.

Anthony Patterson deal isn’t the right time for Derby

Both Vickers and O’Donnell stepped up when Zetterstrom was out of the team, highlighting a positive amount of strength in depth at goalkeeper Derby.

While there may still be some uncertainty over the Swede’s future, there is no reason to prioritise that position at the moment in the transfer market.

Perhaps if the 27-year-old is sold, then a move for a replacement could make some sense, but Eustace could also opt to rely on Vickers to become the new first-choice option.

Given the level of interest in Patterson from elsewhere, and the potential cost of the deal, it’s no surprise that Derby aren’t yet willing to pay £8 to 10 million for his signature.