Sunderland player issues contract update following promotion win

Lynden Gooch has revealed that he will sit down with Alex Neil on Tuesday to discuss his Sunderland future, with the American’s contract set to expire this summer.

The 26-year-old has been a Sunderland player since 2012 when he signed his first scholarship, and in the years before that he would fly over from the States during school holidays to train with the Black Cats.

Having played in three different leagues for Sunderland, starting off in the Premier League before falling into the Championship and then League One, Gooch has been a regular feature for a number of years at the Stadium of Light, but that could be no more following this summer.

The four-cap USA international was being eyed up by Shrewsbury Town at the end of the January transfer window and even though a move failed to materialise – he has more recently been linked with a switch to Portsmouth.

Despite the speculation over his future, Gooch played 45 times for Sunderland in all competitions this past season and was a regular under Neil, mainly as a wing-back or a right-back, and he has hinted that the League One play-off final victory over Wycombe Wanderers on Saturday afternoon could have been his final appearance in a Black Cats shirt.

“I don’t know where I’m going to be next season so we’re going to have to wait and see,” Gooch said, per the Northern Echo.

“If this is my last game for Sunderland then there is not a better way to go out.

“I’ve got a meeting with him (Alex Neil) on Tuesday and we’ll see what happens.

“It is what it is. I’ve give everything for the club in my ten years as a pro. We’ll see what happens.

“If it’s my last game then happy days, I can go out on a high. If not, then I’ll continue to represent the club as best I can.”

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