{"id":22190,"date":"2026-01-31T20:26:40","date_gmt":"2026-01-31T20:26:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wpinitiate.com\/echo-test\/demo76e71539\/2026\/01\/31\/22-year-old-currently-in-england-and-set-for-medical-at-sunderland-good-deal-for-the-black-cats\/"},"modified":"2026-01-31T20:26:40","modified_gmt":"2026-01-31T20:26:40","slug":"22-year-old-currently-in-england-and-set-for-medical-at-sunderland-good-deal-for-the-black-cats","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wpinitiate.com\/echo-test\/demo76e71539\/2026\/01\/31\/22-year-old-currently-in-england-and-set-for-medical-at-sunderland-good-deal-for-the-black-cats\/","title":{"rendered":"22-Year-Old Currently In England And Set For Medical At Sunderland: Good Deal For The Black Cats?"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

Newspaper, Expressen<\/a>, reports that Sunderland<\/a> are about to wrap up a permanent move for Malm\u00f6 FF goalkeeper Melker Ellborg. The Swedish newspaper says the 22-year-old is already in England. He will go through his medical with the Black Cats right away. The report says the clubs settled on a fee of 42 million kronor (roughly \u20ac4 million).<\/p>\n

Sunderland Close on Record-Breaking Deal for Swedish Stopper Melker Ellborg<\/strong><\/h3>\n

That makes Ellborg the most expensive goalkeeper the Allsvenskan has ever sold. The move comes on the back of the youngster\u2019s quick rise at Malm\u00f6. He recently grabbed the number one shirt there, which left veteran international Robin Olsen stuck on the bench.<\/p>\n

A Bold Succession Plan on Wearside<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Sunderland\u2019s push for Ellborg comes at a turning point for their goalkeeping squad. Long-time starter Anthony Patterson<\/a> looks set for a loan move. Negotiations are currently in the home stretch. So, the Black Cats need a high-potential replacement immediately. This newcomer will fight Robin Roefs for the starting position in goal during the final push of the season.<\/p>\n

\"This
NOTTINGHAM, ENGLAND \u2013 NOVEMBER 27: Melker Ellborg of Malmo FF kicks the ball upfield during the UEFA Europa League 2025\/26 League Phase MD5 match between Nottingham Forest FC and Malmo FF at City Ground on November 27, 2025 in Nottingham, England. (Photo by Dan Istitene\/Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Ellborg\u2019s numbers from the 2025 Allsvenskan season back up this big spend. At 1.91m, he owns his penalty area and has great reflexes. Scouts really like how the Swiss goalkeeper passes under pressure. For R\u00e9gis Le Bris\u2019s system, that\u2019s a must-have trait.<\/p>\n

During Malm\u00f6\u2019s recent run for the title, Ellborg showed plenty of poise. He posted a save percentage over 80%. He also picked up five clean sheets in a vital seven-match stretch. That run is what truly pushed him past Olsen.<\/p>\n

Critics might bring up the 22-year-old\u2019s lack of experience in the English game. Even so, the \u00a33.3m price tag is a smart gamble for a player like him. If he replicates his Swedish form, Sunderland will secure a future international keeper. They will get him for way less than a comparable domestic player. This signing shows the club are still focused on securing top European talent before their price tags spin out of reach.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Newspaper, Expressen, reports that Sunderland are about to wrap up a permanent move for Malm\u00f6 FF goalkeeper Melker Ellborg. The Swedish newspaper says the 22-year-old is already in England. He will go through his medical with the Black Cats right away. The report says the clubs settled on a fee of 42 million kronor (roughly […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13963,"featured_media":22191,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-22190","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wpinitiate.com\/echo-test\/demo76e71539\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22190","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wpinitiate.com\/echo-test\/demo76e71539\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wpinitiate.com\/echo-test\/demo76e71539\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wpinitiate.com\/echo-test\/demo76e71539\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/13963"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wpinitiate.com\/echo-test\/demo76e71539\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=22190"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/wpinitiate.com\/echo-test\/demo76e71539\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22190\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wpinitiate.com\/echo-test\/demo76e71539\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/22191"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wpinitiate.com\/echo-test\/demo76e71539\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=22190"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wpinitiate.com\/echo-test\/demo76e71539\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=22190"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wpinitiate.com\/echo-test\/demo76e71539\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=22190"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}