Skilful left-sider, once one of the most sought-after players outside the top flight, aims to finally establish himself in the Premier League
The skilful Reid was signed by Roy Keane from Charlton in January 2008 and was instrumental in Sunderland’s climb away from the Premier League relegation zone in the final quarter of the 2007-08 season.
Reid scored a crucial last-minute winner in a 2-1 triumph over West Ham in the Black Cats’ run-in and gave the midfield creativity and solidity - a lot of solidity, according to the terrace wags (rarely svelte themselves) who accuse the Irishman of carrying extra weight.
He takes it all with a pinch of salt, so to speak. The Dubliner has always been a sensible chap: as a teenager he turned down Arsenal and Manchester United to join Paul Hart's respected youth set-up at Nottingham Forest.
It paid off. He spent five years at the club, initially settling in but then knuckling down to become one of the most sought-after players outside the top flight. Along with fellow Forest graduate Michael Dawson, he made a big-money move to Spurs on the last day of the January 2005 transfer window for a combined £8m fee.
His time at Spurs was no an overwhelming success, perhaps due to the step up in class. After 19 months in North London he headed south to Charlton for £3m. Les Reed compared him to the famously non-whippetlike Ferenc Puskas and defended the player's fitness levels, but Charlton were relegated and after six months in the second tier he was taken to Sunderland by his compatriot Roy Keane in a £4m deal.