Four England keepers face year in the wilderness after failing to seal Premier League first team slot
FOUR England goalkeepers are facing a year in the football wilderness without the chance to play in the Premier League.
Jack Butland heads the list of Three Lions stars who are preparing to spend a season outside the top flight because they cannot find a club willing to make them number one.
Jack Butland faces returning from the World Cup to a year in the Championship with StokeReuters
Butland is England’s second-choice stopper at the World Cup in Russia, yet he faces the prospect of Championship football next season with no clubs lining up to take him away from relegated Stoke.
Tom Heaton, who was on stand-by to be part of Southgate’s World Cup squad, is another who could be left kicking his heels because he cannot get a game at Burnley.
While Joe Hart and Fraser Forster have been left in no doubt they are no longer wanted by their clubs and have found there is no top-flight interest elsewhere.
It is an extraordinary situation which potentially limits the options available to Southgate as he plots trying to build a squad capable of winning Euro 2020.
Tom Heaton was England’s stand-by keeper for Russia – but he has been unable to get a move away from BurnleyPA:Press Association
The England boss will want as many of his keeper as possible playing at the highest level to ensure there is a good pool of talent available to him.
But Jordan Pickford and Nick Pope are the only two who are going into the new season as their club number ones.
Pope’s emergence at Burnley last season has left Heaton facing to dilemma of either being back-up at Turf Moor or moving on elsewhere.
Heaton only lost his place in Sean Dyche’s side through injury, but Pope’s form meant he was unable to reclaim a starting role on his return to fitness.
At 32, Heaton still has years on his side at his peak, but he also knows he cannot afford to spend time on the bench.
But a potential move to West Ham fell through when David Moyes left, and the Hammers were able to push through a cut-price deal for Lukasz Fabianski instead.
Watford also made contact, but with Burnley only willing to sell for around £6million they opted to take Ben Foster from West Brom for £2.5m to save money.
That has left all twenty sides in the Premier League in possession of a first choice keeper, and Heaton stuck for options.
Joe Hart is out in the cold at international and now club level – with a lack of options to leave Manchester CityPA:Press Association
It is a similar situation facing Butland, with Stoke only willing to sell at a big price, and clubs unwilling to splash out on a keeper when they can divert funds to outfield players instead.
So Butland, 25, may be forced to settle for a season in the Championship with Stoke instead of gaining a move back to the top flight.
Hart is also stuck for options in England, having seen a loan move to West Ham turn into a nightmare last season which cost him his World Cup place.
Fraser Forster is now being hawked around by Southampton, who are even offering to pay half his wages to willing takersPA:Empics Sport
The 31-year-old is nowhere near the thoughts of Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola, but genuine options in any of the top divisions across Europe have been hard to find.
While Forster is so far out of the plans of Mark Hughes at Southampton he is being hawked around to anyone willing to take him on loan.
But with wages of £80,000-a-week there is a shortage of interest, with Saints now having to offer to subsidise the majority of his pay just to get him off the books.
No comments: