Teenage tricks: What Sunderland can expect from Connor Wickham

Connor Wickham has long been admired by England’s elite. Liverpool, Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur all had their eye on the 18-year-old, but it was Sunderland who stumped up the £8million + cash that proved too tempting for Ipswich Town to refuse. But what can the Black Cats expect for their money?

Wickham is not the finished article. At 18, no one would expect him to be, but the striker is full of promise and promise comes at a premium – particularly if it is English.

Sunderland paid their money (£8.1m rising to about £12m) knowing as much. It is the biggest transfer fee Ipswich have received for a player.

In the three seasons since Wickham made his Ipswich debut aged 16, becoming the youngest player in the club’s history, he has started only 37 games and made 35 appearances as a substitute.

In that short time, he has clearly done enough to catch they eye. Talk of a move to the Premier League started as early as last summer and intensified as the season progressed, so much so former Town manager Roy Keane banned the press from talking to his prized starlet.

It is safe to say Wickham was not at his best under Keane last season, but he was not alone among his team-mates.

Wickham opened his account for the season only after Keane had been sacked and replaced by Paul Jewell. That was in January and, from then, there was no looking back.

February was a highlight and a month that saw Wickham named the Championship’s player of the month.

A superb individual goal, carrying the ball from beyond halfway before coolly finishing, against Sheffield United was followed by a hat-trick against Doncaster Rovers.

Wickham finished the season on nine goals and picked up the Football League Young Player of the Year award for his efforts.

Wickham is 6ft 3ins but rarely operates as a target man. He is more comfortable dropping deep or into the wide channels, Wayne Rooney-style. Jewell often opted to start Wickham on a flank, asking him to cut inside to do damage.

Wickham has a neat first touch, good pace and can finish – his size has merely helped him cope with the demands of first-team football. He has won international caps for England’s Under-16, 17, 18, 19 and 21s and scored the winning goal in last year’s Euro 2010 Under-17 Championships in the final against Spain. A towering physical presence, Wickham was named in Stuart Pearce’s final England Under-21 squad for the recent U-21 European Championships in Denmark but never made it further than the bench.

Sunderland boss Steve Bruce is convinced the Black Cats have bagged a star of the future.

At a press conference to announce Wickham’s arrival, Bruce said: “A number of top sides have been chasing Connor for some time now so, naturally, we are absolutely delighted he has chosen to come to Sunderland.

“We’ve been watching him for a while and he’s improving and developing all the time. He is a great prospect and I’m sure our supporters will enjoy watching him play.”

It looked for a long time that Wickham may end up at a top-six club, with Liverpool and Arsenal strongly linked with a move since the end of last season.

But the switch to Sunderland may well prove more beneficial for the youngster. He need only look at the progress Danny Welbeck, on loan from Manchester United, made under Bruce last season.

Wickham is likely to be a key man in Bruce’s forward line and, provided he can cope with the burden that comes with a hefty price tag, will in time shine at the Stadium of Light.

Connor Wickham, English Championship, English Premier League, Football League, Ipswich Town, Sunderland