Danny Batth sends message to Sunderland fans after completing move from Stoke | OneFootball

Danny Batth completed his move to Sunderland on Tuesday, signing a contract until the end of next season.

The 31-year-old brings bags of experience to the Black Cats’ defensive line and is approaching 400 appearances in the EFL.

Callum Doyle, Bailey Wright and Tom Flanagan have all been excellent in patches this season, as Sunderland pursue automatic promotion under Lee Johnson.

The Black Cats are desperate to avoid a fifth successive season in League One and the addition of Batth can only aid their efforts in achieving that.

to express his emotions after getting the deal over the line.

“Thank you for the warm welcome, I am determined to do well for this club and look forward to your support.”

The pressure is on with Wycombe Wanderers firmly throwing themselves into the mix for a top two finish in the last stretch.

Rotherham United and Wigan Athletic remain the favourites to earn automatic promotion, but this certainly feels like a very different Sunderland side to the one that has fallen short in years gone by.

Batth may have to bide his time to establish himself as a regular starter but his performances over the years, even for Stoke City in their top six push in the second tier this season, should be enough to convince Johnson that he is the man for the job.

The Verdict

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It feels like Stoke have been very busy in player trading around the centre back position in the last couple of transfer windows.

Leaning towards their decision not to enter contract negotiations with Batth, at this stage of his career it was certainly a sensible move to seek an alternative destination that will secure his future.

The 31-year-old will be hoping to play a key role at the heart of defence to consolidate Sunderland’s position as a Championship club next season, and in doing so earn a contract extension.

This is definitely smart business given the youthful core of the Black Cats’ squad and Batth should bring some healthy competition for places to the backline.