Brighton & Hove Albion are on the lookout for two backup keepers for current number one and Australian international Matthew Ryan. However, instead of looking at getting in two keepers, they may want to get one backup keeper and keep Christian Walton, who spent last season out on loan at Wigan Athletic.
Why The Decision Might Bite Hughton Back!
The 22-year-old keeper played 31 games for The Latics last season and was an integral part of their title-winning campaign and also was part of the squad which reached the quarter-finals of the FA Cup. Walton has progressed massively in the last year and showed his potential with some great performances against two Premier League sides in the FA Cup.
He kept a clean sheet against the free-scoring Premier League Champions, Manchester City in a 1-0 win over them in the sixth round of the FA Cup. Then in the quarter-final against Southampton, he made an incredible penalty save.
After his impressive spell last season he should be given the chance to show his quality in Brighton’s pre-season. Especially considering the fact Matthew Ryan will be away next January, heading off to the Asia Cup with Australia. Walton is certainly a capable replacement to come in and show what he has got and stake a claim for the number one jersey that the Australian keeper currently holds.
He also has international experience, having represented England at U19, U20 and U21 levels, with the U21 appearance being under current England manager Gareth Southgate.
An Asset For The Future
Walton is an all-around keeper and has to the potential to go on and become a World Class keeper once he has a bit more top-flight experience. The English keeper stands at 6 foot 5 inches, making him a much more imposing presence in the goal than Matthew Ryan.
He is also very quick to come off his line to react to danger, which is exactly what you need to be with some of the pacey players in the Premier League.
Walton is also a very good shot stopper like Ryan and this again is a key attribute for a Premier League goalkeeper. He is also a very commanding keeper, thanks to his height, which again will be the key when defending set pieces.
Should He Get A Pre-Season Exposure
After his impressive displays in the last year for Wigan, Walton deserves to be a given a chance in pre-season. Also, it would be great for him to work with Matthew Ryan and goalkeeping coaches Ben Roberts and Casper Ankergren so that he can further develop and try to stake a claim to be the number one goalkeeper for Brighton.
However, this will be somewhat unjust with Ryan, who also had an incredible season for The Seagulls. So, if Brighton want to keep Walton as a backup, it would mean he would have to sit on the bench a lot and this would ultimately hinder his development.
