Dean Whitehead

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Dean Whitehead
Personal information
Full name	Dean Whitehead
Date of birth	12/01/1982
Place of birth	Abingdon, England
Nickname	Deano
Position	Midfielder
Club information
Current club	Sunderland
Number	8
Professional clubs*
Years	Club	Apps (goals)
1999-2003 2003-	Oxford United Sunderland	122 (9) 86 (9)
* Professional club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 15/09/2006.

Dean Whitehead (born January 21, 1982 in Abingdon, Oxfordshire) is a fast developing football midfielder. As a youngster he played for Abingdon Town F.C.'s youth team, before joining the YTS of his local league club, Oxford United. He progressed through the ranks at Oxford, developing a reputation as a tough-tackling midfielder with good passing skills. After playing for the club for around 5 seasons, his contract expired and he turned down the new contract offer from the club. He got his big break in the summer of 2003 when he signed for Sunderland on a free transfer. Sunderland were ordered to pay £150,000 to Oxford at an FA tribunal, to compensate for the time and money put into his development.

He scored his first goal for Sunderland on July 13th 2003, in a 1-1 draw in a pre-season friendly against local rivals Newcastle United FC.

A superb passer of the ball he also takes excellent corners and has considerable pace. He quickly became a key member of the first-team as Sunderland won the 2005 Football League Championship, and was chosen as Players' Player of the Year by his team-mates at the end of the season. He has since been given a one-year extension to his contract, keeping him at the club until 2009.

Deano, as is his nickname, has now been given a new three-year contract, after being the only shining light in a dismal season for his current club. He proved his undoubted talent with a swerving 25-yard free kick past England goalkeeper, Paul Robinson, in a league game against Tottenham Hotspur at White Hart Lane. He has been linked with a £4-million move to Liverpool in many tabloids and also a £3-million move to Charlton Athletic and Blackburn Rovers. More recently Reading have had a £1.2 million bid rejected. His old club, Oxford United, are to be receiving 25% of whatever transfer fee changes hands.

Sunderland A.F.C. - Current Squad
1 Alnwick | 2 Wright | 3 Nyatanga | 5 Cunningham | 6 Caldwell | 8 Whitehead | 10 S. Elliott | 11 Murphy | 12 Nosworthy | 13 Ward | 15 D. Collins | 16 Hysén | 20 Brown | 23 Leadbitter | 24 Carson | 26 R. Elliott | 27 Varga | 28 Kavanagh | 29 Hartley | 30 Richardson | 31 Connolly | 32 Fülöp | 33 Wallace | 34 Yorke | 36 Miller | Manager: Keane