Pritchard helped the Black Cats reach the Championship play-offs last season, but his future at the club was uncertain in the summer, with former manager Tony Mowbray admitting in August that he expected him to leave.
The 30-year-old remained at the Stadium of Light, and he has scored one goal and provided five assists in 25 appearances in all competitions this season, establishing himself as a key part of the team under Michael Beale in recent weeks having previously found his game time limited.
However, Pritchard’s contract is set to expire in the summer, and he is attracting transfer interest from elsewhere this month, with Birmingham City reportedly having a bid rejected as Mowbray looks to reunite with the midfielder at St Andrew’s.
According to The Telegraph journalist Mike McGrath, MLS side Colorado Rapids are also keen on Pritchard, while Turkish reporter Ertan Süzgün claims that Sivasspor have made him an official offer.
Sunderland currently sit 10th in the Championship table, three points from the play-off places, and they will be reluctant to lose Pritchard as they look to secure another top six finish.
| Championship Table (As it stands January 22nd) | ||||
| Team | P | GD | Pts | |
| 9 | Watford | 28 | 7 | 40 |
| 10 | Sunderland | 28 | 6 | 40 |
| 11 | Middlesbrough | 28 | 1 | 40 |
| 12 | Preston North End | 28 | -12 | 38 |
| 13 | Bristol City | 28 | 0 | 37 |
| 14 | Cardiff City | 28 | -4 | 37 |
| 15 | Plymouth Argyle | 28 | 0 | 33 |
| 16 | Swansea City | 28 | -6 | 33 |
Amid the growing speculation over Pritchard’s future, Speakman praised the midfielder for his recent performances and revealed that he has been offered a contract extension.
“From my perspective, Alex has been an absolutely integral part of getting us to where we are in the Championship, in a really good position,” Speakman told the Sunderland Echo.
“He’s a really important player for the group, and I’m really pleased that he’s got back in the team. He wasn’t in the team for a little bit, but he’s back in the team now. His contract is up at the end of the season. With every player, there’s questions about whether they will be staying or going in every window because we’ve got top players.
“From Alex’s perspective, we’ve made the decision more recently to offer him an extension to his contract. We wouldn’t normally do that because we’d normally do that as part of our succession planning somewhere around March or April time. But we just felt that in conversations with him, that was something we probably needed to do because of the situation and where his head was at more than anything. I think that’s the right thing for the football club to do, and he is in a really good position. He’s in the team, and I’m sure he’s happy.”
Sunderland have made the correct Alex Pritchard decision
Sunderland supporters will be delighted to hear Speakman’s comments.
While the club are known to be keen to develop younger players, Pritchard is still an excellent performer at Championship level at the age of 30, and it would have been a big blow to lose him this month.
It remains to be seen whether Pritchard will commit his future to the club, but it is undoubtedly the right move for the Black Cats to attempt to tie him down to an extension.
There is plenty of discontent among the Sunderland fan base following Beale’s tough start to life as head coach, and sanctioning Pritchard’s exit would have further increased their frustration, so the club should be commended for accelerating contract talks with the midfielder.
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