Freddie Woodman identified as a possible target for Celtic
Following the news that Fraser Forster is hoping to stay at St Mary’s and fight for his place in the Southampton side, added to the departure of Craig Gordon, one of Celtic’s priorities this summer is to sign a goalkeeper.
Glasgow Live has identified 23-year-old Newcastle shot-stopper Freddie Woodman as a potential target to fill the goalkeeper void.
Woodman has been on loan at Championship side Swansea this season and he has kept 12 clean sheets this term for the Swans, who currently sit four points off the play-off positions
Newcastle have their number one spot currently occupied with Martin Dubravka, so game time at Woodman’s parent club seems unlikely for next season at least.
Also, with Newcastle’s huge takeover pending, it seems more and more likely that fringe players such as Woodman may look elsewhere to gain first-team football.
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The Glasgow Live article doesn’t confirm that Celtic have made an offer of any form for Woodman, it just identifies the 6”2 stopper as a potential replacement.
He has previously had spells at Kilmarnock and Aberdeen, so he’s had a taste of the SPL previously, although he admittedly didn’t play a great deal of football.
Having a full season as Swansea’s number one has given Woodman some much-needed first-team experience and he has proven that he can handle the step up.
At 23, Woodman has at least ten more years at the top level and could prove to be a very good signing.
It’s unclear how much Newcastle value Woodman at, and whether they would only be willing to loan out the goalie again rather than cashing in on him.
However, a loan move could be beneficial, as it will give an indication of his ability and if it would be worth taking a risk on purchasing him the following season.