Sunderland AFC have completed the signing of Alex Bass from Portsmouth for an undisclosed fee.
The 24-year-old goalkeeper has signed an initial three-year deal at the Stadium of Light, with a Club option of a further year.
Bass has featured in over 100 senior games, representing Portsmouth on 41 occasions after progressing through the Club’s academy system.
The shot-stopper was first named on Pompey’s bench at the age of 16 and he was part of the South-Coast Club’s senior set-up from 2015 onwards.
A PFA League One Player of the Month Award winner in 2020, Bass spent the second part of last season on loan at Bradford City.
He made 21 appearances for the Bantams in Sky Bet League Two and he also spent time on loan with Salisbury, Torquay United and Southend United during the early stages of his career.
Bass joins Alex Neil’s squad ahead of Sunday’s Sky Bet Championship opener against Coventry City and he will be available for selection against the Sky Blues.
Alex Bass said: “I’m absolutely delighted to be here and as soon as I heard about the opportunity to come to Sunderland, I was desperate to take it. This is a massive Club and the move represents a great chance for me to test myself in the Championship, which is filled with talented players. Sunderland had a great run last season and to earn promotion through the Play-Offs is always tough, so it shows there is a great bunch of lads here. I went out on loan earlier this year and it was important to get out there and play games, but now I want to push on and I’m excited to play my part at the Stadium of Light.”
Alex Neil said: “We know that we needed to add competition in the goalkeeping department and Alex fits our model in terms of signing another young and up-and-coming player. He’s big lad and he’s got quality - and he’s brave – so now his job is to push Anthony Patterson and force his way into the team. He’s played games, but he’s of an age profile whereby his best years are ahead of him, so we believe that he’s a good fit for us. Hopefully he can add to his current experience and continue to develop into a really good goalkeeper.”