Sunderland confirm academy transfer blow as Brighton explains plans for talented youngster

Sunderland have confirmed that they have 'reluctantly' allowed academy midfielder Josh Robertson to join Brighton & Hove Albion for an undisclosed fee.

Robertson has been making impressive progress at the Academy of Light in recent times and has been part of the U18 side performing strongly in the FA Youth Cup this season. Sunderland did not want to lose the 18-year-old but say they were left with little choice but to negotiate after Robertson indicated he did not see his long-term future at the club.

Academy boss Robin Nicholls said: “Josh’s scholarship was due to expire at the end of this season and after indicating that he did not wish to commit his future to SAFC, we reluctantly accepted to pursue the next-best solution for the club and the player.

"We are disappointed that Josh will be departing the group, as he is a player with potential that we hoped could eventually progress into our senior team, but we wish him well for the future and are proud to have played an integral role in his development.”

Robertson will go straight into Brighton's U21 squad for the remainder of the campaign as he looks to kick on towards a senior future in the long run.

Brighton's U21 boss Shannon Ruth said: "We're delighted to welcome Josh to the club and are looking forward to working with him. He's had a really good education with Sunderland, which was rewarded with his Premier League 2 debut earlier this season.

"He's demonstrated his ability to play in a variety of attacking roles, while also showing his goalscoring threat. We believe he will fit in well with our style of play which will also allow him to show his strengths.

“He will join our under-21 squad and we are excited to see how he progresses in our environment."

Robertson has been in Sunderland's academy since the age of nine, and made his U21 debut in a 3-2 win over Aston Villa earlier this season. He has signed a three-and-a-half year deal at his new club.