Sunderland confirm deal bringing Patrick van Aanholt to the Stadium of Light.
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Sunderland have made one of their first summer transfer moves, with Gus Poyet completing a deal to bring Dutch left back Patrick van Aanholt to the Stadium of Light from Chelsea.
Despite officially being a Chelsea player, van Aanholt has made just a handful of senior appearances for the Blues since joining from PSV Eindhoven, making his name instead in a variety of loan spells with the likes of Leicester City, Coventry City and Vitesse Arnhem.
The 23 year-old spent last season with the Eredivise club that have become something of an unofficial feeder club for Chelsea in recent years, impressing enough to be a part of Louis van Gaal’s 30-man provisional Netherlands squad for the 2014 FIFA World Cup, before he was cut from the squad when it was whittled down.
The move could mean that it is the end for Sunderland’s pursuit of Marcos Alonso, with Poyet having been keen to secure a deal for the Spanish left back who spent the end of last season on loan with the club from Serie A outfit Fiorentina.
Known for his attacking instincts and pacy runs from deep, van Aanholt is one of the first pieces of the jigsaw as Poyet looks to build on Sunderland’s escape from relegation by building his own team in the North East.