Carl Winchester has described his two-and-a-half year stint at Sunderland as 'a privilege' as he prepares to leave Wearside this summer. The Northern Irishman is the Black Cats' only senior player out of contract this summer and will depart when his deal expires at the end of the month.
The 30-year-old midfielder joined the club from League Two Forest Green Rovers in January 2021, becoming the first signing since Kristjaan Speakman was appointed as sporting director the previous month, which meant Winchester was reunited with his former Oldham Athletic boss Lee Johnson, who was then head coach at Sunderland. He made a dozen starts in the second half of the 2020-21 campaign, but he came into his own the following season as he played 40 games - the majority at right-back and also at times in central defence - to help Sunderland win promotion from League One, although injury meant he missed the run-in and the Wembley play-off final win under Johnson's successor Alex Neil.
"When the interest came, I couldn't believe it - Sunderland wanting a player from a lower league, when usually you would think they would be trying to get players from the Championship or the Premier League," Winchester told Sunderland's SAFC Unfiltered podcast, of his move from Forest Green. "It was just a privilege to come and as soon as I knew there was interest, I was just saying 'get it done, get it done straightaway' because I was so excited.
