According to Chronicle Live, Arsenal are among clubs interested in the services of Freddie Woodman. The Newcastle United goalkeeper is considering his options, with his current contract at Tyneside expiring at the end of the 2019/20 campaign. However, the Gunners could face stiff competition from Celtic while two Championship clubs have also expressed interest.
Woodman’s rise to prominence
Woodman has been part of the Newcastle setup since 2014. And although he has made only four appearances for the senior side, the goalkeeper has made a lot of waves with his performances for the England youth teams.
Woodman notably started for England during the U-20 World Cup in 2017. He kept an impressive four clean sheets in six matches, ultimately winning the Golden Glove award. All of Woodman’s first-team appearances with Newcastle have come in the FA Cup, three of which came last season.
The 22-year-old might have a glorious opportunity of making his breakthrough in senior football in the upcoming season. However, that is only if he opts to prolong his stay at Newcastle this summer.
What can is he all about?
Woodman is primarily known for his lightning-quick reflexes. He is a superb shot-stopper, especially from close range. But most importantly, he can remain calm and composed and rarely makes any glaring error that leads to scoring opportunities.
Moreover, the ex-Palace youth member is an excellent distributor of the ball. He also boasts a tall 1.88m frame that allows him to cover a lot of area in goal, though he’s definitely not the tallest of goalkeepers around.
Should Arsenal make a move for Woodman?
Arsenal are in desperate need of a new goalkeeper due to the retirement of Petr Cech at the end of last season. David Ospina joined Napoli permanently as well earlier this summer. This left Unai Emery with Emiliano Martinez as his second choice keeper.
Woodman, in that regard, could be a cost-effective option in Arsenal’s bid to sign a new ‘keeper. The 22-year old’s contract is soon running out, and he will thus be available for a cut-price this summer. Besides, he has had some experiences of playing as the second choice keeper at Newcastle, meaning he won’t have any difficulty in becoming an understudy of Leno at Arsenal.
