Southampton eye up Championship goalkeeper as Aaron Ramsdale replacement, but there’s a catch

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Southampton may have three more games to play in the Premier League, but the Saints are very much thinking about preparing for life in the Championship now.

After securing promotion via the Championship play-offs last season at the expense of Leeds United, Southampton were always a long-shot to succeed in the top flight.

However, the Saints have been utterly woeful all season, and there’s a very real chance now that they will end the campaign as the joint-worst team in Premier League history with 11 points.

It will be a big summer of change for the South Coast club, with a new manager needed. Steven Gerrard has been mooted as Southampton’s target for the vacancy, though fans are not best pleased with that idea.

As for the playing staff, plenty of players will be ready to jump ship this summer, but Southampton appear to have set their target when it comes to finding a new goalkeeper.

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Southampton looking at Sunderland’s Anthony Patterson this summer

Aaron Ramsdale is more than likely to be sold by Southampton this summer with a number of clubs interested in the England international.

We already earmarked potential Ramsdale replacements for Southampton, but a new name has now emerged thanks to information from Alan Nixon on Patreon.

It is said Southampton are keeping tabs on Sunderland stopper Anthony Patterson, but with the Black Cats heading for the play-offs this month, there could be an issue.

Obviously, if Sunderland go up, Southampton are unlikely to tempt Patterson to stay in the second tier, but if they fail to get promoted, Patterson is thought to be ready to make a switch.

Nixon claims Patterson would be keen to step up to the Premier League, but after his mid-season slip in form, that could be difficult.

Southampton have other options, with Angers keeper Yahia Fofana on their radar. He would likely cost around £10m.

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Anthony Patterson is a top Championship goalkeeper, but he still needs to improve

At the start of the season, Patterson was one of the best players in the Championship, and looked destined for a top flight transfer.

Generally speaking, Patterson is a brilliant shot-stopper and has a great command of his area, and has a mature, experienced head for a relatively young goalkeeper.

But, the 24-year-old does have his shortcomings. Most notably, his distribution is poor, particularly when it comes to playing the ball long (he has just a 40.2% success rate with those long passes).

Patterson has also underperformed when it comes to conceding goals, with a post-shot xG of just over 39 compared to his actual number of goals conceded, which stands at 42.

In recent weeks, he’s also shown some frailties in the box. With defenders imposing their physicality on the Sunderland ‘keeper, Patterson has committed some crucial errors that have cost the Black Cats dearly, and he will have to recapture his form quickly if they are to succeed in the play-offs.