Wigan Athletic goalkeeper Sam Tickle is a potential summer target for Championship side Sunderland, with a report from the Sunderland Echo stating that the club have an interest in the youngster.
Tickle has been one of the stars of the season, both for Wigan but also across the wider league. At just 22 years of age, the ‘keeper has earned plenty of plaudits this season and in turn gained a plethora of admirers as a result.
With 13 clean sheets to his name in 41 League One matches this season, the youngster has proved himself to be a great asset to the club. Given this is also his first season as the Latics’ number one, the performances are only made even more impressive.
A product of the clubs’ academy, Tickle has also recently found himself in the England U21 setup, making his debut in a 7-0 victory over Luxembourg in March. If the youngster wasn’t already highly thought of enough, being capped at his age group only further emphasises his quality and Wigan may find it hard to hold onto the shot stopper this summer.
The Latics will be playing in the third tier once again next season and they can now not be either mathematically promoted or relegated. Sat in 12th place, the table probably doesn’t quite tell just how much of a successful season it has been for the club. Due to missing funding deadlines and paying players’ wages, Wigan would give the rest of the sides in the third tier a head start this season after being hit with an eight point deduction.
The job that Shaun Maloney has done is rather astonishing, however, their success could potentially lead to their own downfall with the high likelihood of multiple players being poached this summer.
Tickle is one of the names who will be at the top of the list and rightly so. He has taken to the senior game like a duck to water and looks to already be ready for the step up to the Championship. With Sunderland already rumoured to have an interest in the young goalkeeper, it seems unlikely that he’ll be playing in the third tier next season.
With a contract at the club until 2026, the Latics would get a very good fee for the 22-year-old if he was to leave in the summer and they could perhaps improve in other areas before a tilt at promotion next season with that transfer money.
Writer’s View
This season has really allowed Sam Tickle to show his potential and his inclusion in the recent England U21 squad emphasises his quality. As a result it will be incredibly hard for Maloney to keep hold of him this summer, but the money that will come from the transfer can be utilised with the future in mind.
Sunderland would be a good fit for the youngster with current number one Anthony Patterson potentially moving on, yet they won’t be the last club to express an interest in the ‘keeper. He’ll no doubt go onto bigger and better things, and this may well just be the start of his progression up the leagues.
Senior Editor
