Flanagan hoping for third time lucky as he commits to Cats
TOM HAS JOB TO FINISH
TOM Flanagan says there was a sense of ‘unfinished business’ at Sunderland which helped convince him to sign a new contract on Wearside.
The Northern Ireland internadefender tional was out of contract when his two-year deal with the Black Cats ran out at the end of June but on Friday he signed up for another two years.
The 28-year-old had reportedly attracted interest from sides in the Championship.
However, after going close to prowith motion Sunderland in his first and then seeing the Covidseason 19 crisis wreck the club’s chances last term, Flanagan says he did not want to miss out on winning a prowith motion the Black Cats.
He said: “I am really pleased to have signed.
“It has been a long period away from football and there has been a bit of uncertainty with everything so itis good to be signed and sealed if not quite delivered yet because we are not back in training.
“Once that happens we will be ready and raring to go.”
Flanagan added: “I am just pleased to have another two years at this club.
“There is a sense of unfinished business for me here.
“That has a lot to do with the pull of the club – there would be nothing worse than to walk away and then see the club be promoted because I desperately want to be a part of that.
“I said in an interview quite a long time before any negotiations had even started that it is a difficult club to leave and I did find it very difficult.
“I get on really well with the manager, the team is good and it will be interesting to see who we recruit.
“We were always going to have such a good chance of promotion and hopefully it will be third time lucky!”
Sunderland need to get out of League One as quickly as possible – but Flanagan has set an even more ambitious goal.
He said: “The ultimate goal, and people will think it is crazy but I have played in this league and seen people do it, is to win back-to-back promotions.
“There are two years to do it and if it starts rolling it can just carry on,
“There is a long list of clubs who have done it, so why can’t we?”
In the short-term, following confirmation the new campaign will start on September 12, Sunderland are expected to return for pre-season training next week.
Flanagan says come as a relief
it
will to the players to be back at the Academy of Light after having to stay in shape at home since the season was halted and lockdown imposed in March.
He added: “It has been crazy. It has been a psychological battle to keep doing all the right things for as long as you can.
“It is quite hard to relax at home really because normally in the summertime you go away but because you were at home you are seeing what is happening and wondering when we are going to be back and when football is going to be back.
“In the earliest stages it was a really tough time but there is light at the end of the tunnel now and I cannot wait to get started.
“The players were using a running app at home and we all started out like a house on fire with a leaderboard and people competing for times and distances.
“That carried on for about two and a bit months but it did peter out and then we were told to have some time off, which was quite nice.
“We have been back at it since, although the running has slowed down a little bit and the lads have gone into a bit more of the football stuff.”