Patrick Roberts' Sunderland days may be numbered - Portsmouth should act | OneFootball

Patrick Roberts may be available for transfer, and Portsmouth should look to capitalise.

Patrick Roberts is back in the Premier League, this time with Sunderland. However, his days as a Black Cat may be numbered, and Portsmouth should look to swoop in whilst they can.

Sunderland will be playing Premier League football this season for the first time since their relegation from the top flight in 2017, having achieved promotion via the play-offs in May, defeating Sheffield United 2-1 at Wembley courtesy of a late Tom Watson winner.

In preparation for the Premier League, Sunderland have been extremely active in the transfer market, bringing in the likes of Habib Diarra, Simon Adingra, Chemsdine Talbi and Granit Xhaka on permanent deals to the Stadium of Light.

Their total spending so far has reached roughly £141.5 million, and they may not be done just yet, having made a bid in the region of £28.5 million for Leicester City winger Abdul Fatawu.

The Ghanaian international has shone for the Foxes since his arrival from Sporting CP in 2023, netting six goals and grabbing 13 assists in what was his first season in England whilst in the Championship.

However, last season Fatawu struggled to make an impact in the Premier League under Steve Cooper or Ruud van Nistelrooy as Leicester were relegated.

The 21-year-old is best playing off of the right and cutting in on his left foot, and having already completed a deal for the aforementioned Talbi, should Fatawu make the move to Wearside, it would mean game time could be very limited for Roberts.

Portsmouth should make an ambitious move for Patrick Roberts should he become available

Portsmouth manager John Mousinho has openly stated his admission to wanting to recruit another winger this summer, with Matt Ritchie, Harvey Blair and Callum Lang all facing a spell on the sidelines.

This could open the door for an ambitious move for Roberts, who could be available before the end of the window should Sunderland no longer require his services.

The former England youth international would slot seamlessly onto the right of Pompey's attack, allowing Aussie attacking-midfielder Adrien Segecic, who has started his first season in England with two goals in two games, to stay central.

Roberts has made 281 appearances throughout his career, which has taken him to Spain, France and Scotland, as well as England. However, over half of his career appearances have come in the Championship (170). He would not only add quality, but experience to the Portsmouth attack.

With Lang having limped off in their home defeat to Norwich City, Swansea City loanee Florian Bianchini or Spurs loanee Min-Hyeok Yang are the likely candidates to step into the role in the meantime, though both lack experience at this level.

Signing the 28-year-old would be a real statement of intent from Mousinho's side, who are eager to prove that they are not here purely just to make up the numbers after comfortably surviving last season.

Roberts has one year left on his current deal at the Stadium of Light. However, Sunderland do have the option to extend that by a further year, should they so wish.

Whether Sunderland will be happy for Roberts to depart remains to be seen, and whether it would be on a permanent basis or on-loan is also up in the air, though Portsmouth should move mountains to try and get this deal over the line for a man with seven goals and 17 assists across the last three seasons.

Sunderland may look to offload Patrick Roberts to facilitate new arrivals

With Talbi having made an immediate impact on his debut for the Black Cats in the Premier League, grabbing an assist in their 3-0 victory over West Ham, Regis Le Bris' side are further looking to strengthen their attacking options with the signing of Fatawu.

Roberts has been a regular at the Stadium of Light since his permanent switch from Man City in January 2022, playing a key role in their promotion from League One, then their stabilisation and ultimate promotion from the Championship.

Last season alone, Roberts made 48 Championship appearances, including the play-offs, missing just one game all season, scoring twice and registering eight assists, including one in the play-off final for Mayenda's equaliser. The numbers aren't mind-blowing, but it's worth remembering he was in a highly-impressive squad. At Portsmouth, he would be the main man and, with a lot of play going through him, those numbers could skyrocket.

However, he was an unused substitute in their opening fixture against West Ham, and it remains to be seen whether he will have a role to play for the club in the Premier League this campaign.

Should Roberts' game time be limited, Portsmouth must strike fast to reinforce their attacking options, which have been depleted to an array of injuries.