Tyler Frost has signed a two-year contract at League Two Crawley Town after spending a trial period at Sunderland, according to the Red Devils’ official website.
While Black Cats fans have got rather used to seeing their most exciting academy graduates hoovered up by some of English football’s biggest clubs, they can at least take solace in knowing that changes are afoot behind the scenes at the Stadium of Light.
Sunderland have taken a whole host of talented youngsters on trial in recent months, including former Burnley striker Will Harris and West Brom winger Stanley Asomugha.
But one player who will not be wearing those red and white stripes next season is Frost.
The Reading Chronicle claimed in January that the 21-year-old midfielder was in Sunderland’s sights with his contract at Reading due to expire in June.
But Frost has now put any speculation to an end by agreeing a deal with Crawley instead.
“Tyler is a player known to us through our Reading connection and (assistant head coach) Lee Bradbury. Tyler has a great work ethic and is a talent that we expect to show quick progression,” Erdem Konyar, Crawley’s technical director, explains.
Sunderland have no problems when it comes to producing exciting young talent. Keeping them, it seems, is another matter altogether.
In recent times, Logan Pye, Joe Hugill, Sam Greenwood, Luca Stevenson and Morten Spencer have departed, while Bali Mumba joined Norwich City earlier this summer.
And Sunderland fans will be hoping that, after the departure of the much-maligned academy manager Paul Reid, things will change for the better at last.
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