Former Sunderland defender Jack Baldwin has reacted after leaving the club and sealing a move to Bristol Rovers.
Black Cats manager Phil Parkinson is expected to see a number of players leave and come in as he looks to bounce back after failing to gain promotion to the Championship earlier this year.
One player who has now departed the club is Baldwin, who spent last season on loan with League Two side Salford City, seeing his deal at the Stadium of Light end on June 30.
Shortly after his exit from Sunderland, it was reported that talks with Bristol Rovers had begun for the defender to sign a permanent deal and it has now been confirmed that the defender has joined The Pirates.
Speaking after exit from Sunderland and move to the Memorial Stadium, the 27-year-old said (as quoted by Sunderland Echo):
“I’m delighted to be here.“Speaking with Ben [Garner, manager] early on this summer, I’m thrilled that we have managed to get everything sorted so early on, with the current climate.“I had chats with Ben quite a few times before signing and he’s a positive person. He knows the type of football that he wants his team to play and that style matches the way that I see myself playing.“There’s a lot of positivity around Bristol Rovers, so that makes it a great time to be joining and I’m excited to get started.”Baldwin made a total of 42 appearances for Sunderland during his time at the club.
Another player moves on from Sunderland, leaving Parkinson with space in his squad to bring in someone else.
However, the lure of a move to the Stadium of Light is not exactly what it used to be and Baldwin’s decision to move on and join another League One club could act as a signal that Parkinson may have a tough transfer window.
Do you think Sunderland should have kept hold of Baldwin? Let us know in the comments section below…