The 28-year-old winger arrives from Premier League side Sunderland, and joins on a season-long loan.

Roberts began his footballing journey with Fulham, joining their academy at the age of 13 where he would go on and eventually sign his first professional contract as a 17-year-old in February 2014.

Just a month later, the youngster was named in Fulham’s matchday squad for the first time for a Premier League fixture against Newcastle United. Despite not getting on the pitch that day, Roberts didn’t have to wait long for his senior bow as he made his debut as a second-half substitute against Manchester City.

After Fulham were relegated from the Premier League at the end of the 2013-14 season, Roberts was involved in the early part of the 2014-15 campaign, and he would go on to make 20 appearances in all competitions as Fulham finished 17th in the Championship.

But his talent was already attracting interest from other clubs, and it was Manchester City who swooped to sign the youngster for a significant eight-figure fee in the summer of 2015.

After featuring against Real Madrid in the 2015 International Champions Cup in pre-season, Roberts made his first-team debut as a substitute in a 4-1 win over Sunderland in the League Cup before his league bow came in a 4-1 defeat against Tottenham Hotspur four days later.

In January 2016, the winger signed for Celtic on an 18-month loan deal and enjoyed a positive second half of the season as he scored six goals in 13 appearances to help The Bhoys lift the Scottish Premiership title.

In his first full season at Parkhead, Roberts enjoyed a stellar season in Scotland on a domestic level, while also featuring nine times in Celtic’s UEFA Champions League campaign. In total, he made 47 appearances in all competitions – scoring 11 goals and contributing 19 assists – as Brendan Rodgers’ side went the whole season unbeaten domestically and securing a league and cup treble.

The 2017-18 season was a frustrating one for Roberts, who suffered an injury in the November that ruled him out for several months. He did, however, return for the final weeks of the campaign and helped Celtic to another domestic treble under the guidance of Rodgers and current Blues boss Chris Davies.

Patrick Roberts

After a successful time at Celtic, Roberts was sent on loan to Manchester City’s partner club, Girona, in La Liga for the 2018-19 season but the winger endured a tricky campaign despite making 21 appearances, as the club suffered relegation to the Segunda Division.

Roberts would go on to have further loan spells at Norwich City, Middlesbrough, Derby County and French side Troyes before he left Manchester City in January 2022 to make a permanent switch to Sunderland, then of League One, on an initial six-month deal.

He would go on and play a key role in the Black Cats’ thrilling end to the campaign, scoring the winning goal in the second leg of their play-off semi-final against Sheffield Wednesday to send the Wearsiders to Wembley, where they would get the better of Wycombe Wanderers to make a return to the Championship.

The winger continued to make his presence felt on and off the pitch at the Stadium of Light, becoming a leading figure under every manager.

He was an ever-present during his first full season at Sunderland, making 44 appearances and registering 12 goal involvements as Tony Mowbray’s young side lost out in the play-off semi-final against Luton Town.

Roberts continued to impress as a youthful Sunderland pushed for promotion to the Premier League and during the 2024-25 campaign, he would miss just one game as Regis Le Bris’ side finished fourth in the regular season, before getting the better of Coventry City in their two-legged play-off semi-final.

He then came off the bench in the second half at Wembley as Sunderland came from a goal down to beat Sheffield United in dramatic fashion to seal a return to the top-flight.

On the international stage, Roberts represented England at Under-16, Under-17 and Under-19 level, and played a pivotal role in England’s success at the Europea Under-17 Championships in 2014, scoring three goals and grabbing four assists.