Arsenal are eyeing a move for Newcastle United’s Freddie Woodman, who is looking to leave the club in search of first-team football, according to The Chronicle.
The Gunners seem to be on the search for a second-choice ‘keeper with Mat Ryan’s move from Brighton and Hove Albion only a short-term loan deal.
The £6.3m-rated Woodman has spent the season on-loan with Swansea City in the Championship and has been in impressive form for the Welsh side.
Who should Arsenal sign?
Freddie Woodman
Mat Ryan
A good second-choice behind Bernd Leno is hard to find these days especially when you’re running on a tight budget. The Gunners chose to make a move for Alex Runarrson, however, that move has proven to be a failure and a total waste of £1.5m.
Ryan’s made the move up from the south coast and seems to have settled in well after putting in a brilliant debut performance against Aston Villa. However, with his German teammate proving to be the undisputed number one, game time, and therefore further judgement, will be hard to come by.
Woodman has been in stunning form in the second-tier of English football, keeping 17 clean sheets across just 32 games in all competitions. He also has international pedigree having won the under-20 World Cup a few years ago.
However, with limited first-team experiences behind him, it would seem Ryan would be the better choice unless he proves to be a complete failure between now and the end of his temporary stay.
The Australian also has the added bonus of having featured in European competition, having spent a couple of seasons with Valencia in La Liga.
The Runarrson experiment should’ve taught Arsenal that low-balling when attempting to fill a void is a bad move. Ryan may prove an expensive option, however, you’d rather have a reliable back-up as opposed to an inexperienced kid.
In other news, one player has given Arteta a massive boost after returning to training.