Sunderland call could come back to haunt them if Birmingham City return for Wigan Athletic star: View | OneFootball

Sunderland AFC look set for a very disappointing end to this 2023/24 Championship season.

The Black Cats’ play-off hopes went a long time ago, but there was still hope that they could end the campaign in a good way under interim manager Mike Dodds.

However, the 5-1 thumping by Blackburn Rovers has left many fans annoyed at what is currently going on at the club, and it looks as though this summer is going to be crucial.

Sunderland will need to find a new manager, and along with that, it is likely that changes in the squad will need to be made, with certain players at the club disappointing this season.

The summer transfer window isn’t too far away now, and one story that has emerged in recent days is that Sunderland could be looking to sign Wigan Athletic goalkeeper Sam Tickle this summer, but they may face stiff competition.

Sunderland keeping an eye on Wigan’s Sam Tickle

It was reported last weekend by journalist Alan Nixon that Sunderland is keeping an eye on Wigan Athletic goalkeeper Sam Tickle.

The Black Cats currently have a great number one in goal in the form of Anthony Patterson, but it seems the club is looking at potential options to replace him should his valuation be matched this summer.

Therefore, Tickle has emerged on their radar after impressing in his breakout season with the League One side.

It was reported back in January that Birmingham City and Preston also held an interest in the player, but a move never worked out for either side.

Obviously, at this stage, it is unclear if the Blues remain interested in the Latics shot stopper, but if they are, Sunderland’s decision regarding Tony Mowbray earlier this season could come back to haunt them.

Sunderland’s Tony Mowbray decision could haunt them in the race for Sam Tickle

It seems that Wigan’s Sam Tickle will likely be a wanted man come this summer, as he continues to impress for a Latics side that has had to focus on cementing themselves in the third tier.

The 22-year-old is a product of Wigan’s academy, but the goalkeeper has had to be patient for his chance in the first team, with this 2023/24 campaign being his breakout season.

The young goalkeeper has been excellent for Wigan and has arguably been their best player throughout the campaign, playing all 41 League One games.

During those games, Tickle is averaging just 1.3 goals conceded per game, with him averaging an impressive 2.9 saves per game, as per Sofascore.com.

The goalkeeper has made 117 saves this season, which has helped him keep 13 clean sheets in the league so far, and he has yet to make an error that has led to a goal, per Sofascore.com.

So, it is quite understandable why teams are starting to take notice of Tickle’s form at Wigan, and it is probably expected that there will be more teams interested than just Sunderland and potentially Birmingham.

There is a high chance that teams in the Premier League may be looking at the shot stopper, something that the Black Cats and the Blues will not be able to do much about.

However, Sunderland will hope that they can have the advantage over Birmingham, despite the Blues having their former manager Tony Mowbray in charge, who has a reputation for developing young players.

Mowbray was a key reason why the Black Cats were able to bring in several young players like they have done in the last couple of seasons. The experienced manager nurtured players like Jobe Bellingham, Tra Hume, and Anthony Patterson, and while Sunderland will hope these players will help convince others to join, Birmingham may hold a bigger card now.

The Wearsiders decided to move on from Mowbray earlier this season, and now that he is at Birmingham, it could give them an advantage when it comes to signing someone like Tickle. Therefore, if Sunderland do miss out on signing the goalkeeper to Birmingham, it could be yet another time where the decision to move the manager on has come back to haunt them.