Among football’s most-used clichés, you’ll not miss this one; a great goalkeeper is worth an extra 10-15 points in a season. Whether this maxim holds or not is a topic for another day.
Highly-rated Newcastle United keeper Freddie Woodman is available for a season-long deal. Woodman would be a welcome addition to the charges at Bramall Lane but the Blades would have to fend off interest from Championship rivals Norwich City to land their man.
Woodman is yet another product from Newcastle’s academy that’s well-renowned for producing talents such as Shay Given, Tim Krul and Pavel Srnicek in the past.
Not keen to spend the next season as a fourth-choice goalkeeper for Rafa Benitez, Woodman might be tempted to make the move and increase his first-team experience after spells at Aberdeen and Kilmarnock.
On-loan goalkeeper Jamal Blackman made 33 appearances for Sheffield United last season but he has returned to his parent club, Chelsea. Now, Sheffield have a spot up for grabs and Woodman is looking for guaranteed first-team appearances. This is the perfect marriage of convenience.
Sheffield United will receive a talented shot-stopper while Woodman will get to play more often. Furthermore, the Englishman will be considered for international duty only if he plays regularly next season. And it goes without saying that the Blades would be keen to add a young and talented keeper to their ranks.
Last season, Simon Moore’s suspension against Wolves left Chris Wilder’s charges with rookie keeper Jake Eastwood to call upon ahead of a Yorkshire derby against Leeds United. If Woodman chooses to join Sheffield, he will compete with Moore who made 15 appearances last season.
Heading into the new season, Sheffield United seem like the perfect escape for Woodman. They will offer regular game time as well as some much-needed experience for the Croydon-born keeper.
His experience from his stints in the Scottish Premiership will come in handy as Sheffield head into the next campaign. Whether Woodman can save them 10-15 points next season, remains to be seen.
