Why Leeds United should avoid signing John Ruddy
As per Football Insider (h/t Leeds Live), Leeds United have been offered the chance to sign Wolves goalkeeper John Ruddy this summer.
Ruddy, 33, came through the ranks of Cambridge United and joined Everton in the summer of 2005. But after failing to make the cut at Goodison Park, he spent most of his time in English football on loan spells before joining Norwich City permanently in 2010.
He had a successful seven-year spell with the Canaries and he was signed by Wolves, where he started regularly in his debut season at Molineux and helped the side get promoted to the Premier League.
However, in the past two years, he has barely featured, after losing his spot to Rui Patricio. Thus, Leeds should keep their eyes off the former English international.
Marcelo Bielsa’s men have done a brilliant job in their promotion hunt this season. The Whites have been brilliant in every department. The attacking unit, led by Patrick Bamford, has scored 56 goals so far. The defensive unit has conceded just 30 goals, which is the best defensive record in the Championship this term.
No room for a new goalkeeper
The goalkeeping department has also done a decent job with Kiko Casilla being the No:1. The Spaniard may have come under the limelight for the wrong reason in the last few months but his performances cannot be questioned. He has kept 15 clean sheets in 35 games so far.
Apart from him, they have Illan Meslier, who is on loan from FC Lorient and there have been talks that the French youngster could be handed a permanent deal at Elland Road. Will Huffer and Elia Caprile are the other two young shot-stoppers available at the manager’s disposal.
In that regard, signing John Ruddy from Wolves would make no sense for the club. The former Everton man has failed to earn his spot in the past two years and his form could have been hampered due to the lack of action.
Ruddy is already 33 and has not been a regular in the past two years. Signing the former Norwich City man would also be a total waste of resources considering all this.
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Verdict
Leeds have quality options in their goalkeeping department and signing Ruddy would not help in their cause. Instead, they should look to strengthen other areas on the pitch. This could be useful for them if they are promoted to the top-flight next season.