Aiden O’Brien has revealed that as soon as he arrived at the Academy of Light, he knew signing for Sunderland was the right decision.
The Republic of Ireland international became Phil Parkinson’s first recruit of the summer on Wednesday, joining the Lads on a two-year deal after his contract expired at Millwall earlier this month.
A striker by trade, O’Brien spent nine years with the Lions, where he made over 200 appearances and was a constant feature in the side that gained promotion from Sky Bet League One in 2016-17.
Speaking to safc.com in his first interview, the 26-year-old admitted that as soon as he arrived on Wearside, he knew it was the place for him.
“I just can’t wait to get going,” he said.
“I was at home and my agent gave me a call and said Phil Parkinson is interested."
He continued: “I ended up going up to the training ground to meet him directly and he showed me around, and as soon as I got there, I knew it was the place for me.
“I love scoring goals, that’s what I do and that’s what I live for.
“You need to have a great bunch of lads - it’s not all about talent - and it’s about having good comradery and a good dressing room.
“It looks like we’ve got that in abundance here and if you have that, the talent will take care of itself.
“The aim is to get promoted and score as many goals as I can.”
