Sunderland goalkeeper explains reasons behind summer transfer and why he chose League One club

Nathan Bishop says Wycombe Wanderers was the ideal move for him as looks to play regular senior football in the upcoming campaign.

Bishop has joined the League One club on a season-long loan deal, two years after almost making the move. The 24-year-old was on the brink of signing before Manchester United opted not to let the deal happen. Bishop joined Sunderland a year later and after making two competitive appearances last season, all parties decided that it was best for him to leave on loan.

The goalkeeper says it is a club he is familiar with and says that their ambition following a recent takeover was one of the key reasons for his eagerness to make the move.

“I’m very happy that we finally got it done,” he told club media.

“It’s huge isn’t it, new training ground, happy faces everywhere. I’m honestly just delighted to be here and really excited for it. I’m from just down the road as well so it’s a nice little travel in to training everyday. I nearly joined here two years ago but we were unlucky not to get that done. I went to Sunderland and then like magic, I’m back here. I was excited when I heard about the interest, especially being a local lad so knowing the direction of the club with the new ownership, it’s extremely exciting. I think we can do really well as a team this season, it’s a really solid group with a good coaching staff.

“I want to play as many games as possible, be part of a really good squad and get games under my belt and just push on to hopefully get into that top half of the league. It’s honestly a top group of lads and they do it for each other. I’m excited and can’t wait to get going.”

Bishop also has a strong rapport with Wycombe’s head of goalkeeping, which the club’s boss Matt Bloomfield said was crucial to the move: “Nathan is someone that Lee Harrison (Head of Goalkeeping) and I have admired for a long time, and we are delighted to bring him here for the 2024/25 season.

“Lee worked with him at Southend and has kept in touch with him over the years, which played a big part in helping us bring Nathan to the club. He’s already got close to 100 senior appearances under his belt and will have developed his game greatly alongside some top keepers at Manchester United and Sunderland over the last couple of years. There’s a fantastic opportunity for him here to compete for first-team football and we’re excited to welcome him into the squad.”