Freddie Woodman's move to Preston North End is a deal which suits both parties well
The 25-year-old has signed a three-year deal at Deepdale ahead of the upcoming Championship season.
For the longest time Freddie Woodman was viewed by supporters as one of the future stars of Newcastle United. With little cause for celebration out of the club’s academy during the Mike Ashley era, the now 25-year-old was seen as one of the few potentials for a long-term first team talent to emerge.
For whatever reason, that didn’t quite transpire for Woodman who instead spent much of his Newcastle career out on loan, spending the majority of the past few seasons in the Championship - where he made a name for himself with Swansea City across two seasons, racking up 88 league appearances.
That was enough to merit the Magpies keeping Woodman around for the start of the 2021/22 Premier League season (albeit as part of a baffling Steve Bruce decision to register four senior goalkeepers for the first half of the season). With an injury to regular starter Martin Dubravka for the first few months of the campaign, Woodman served as backup to Karl Darlow and managed to make his first league appearances for the club.
However, across those four Premier League appearances, he still looked like a developing product and as a 25-year-old, too much of a risk for incoming manager Eddie Howe to rely on. Instead, he was once again shipped out on loan to the Championship, this time to promotion-chasing Bournemouth.
The problem for Woodman on the South Coast was that he quickly found himself playing second fiddle there too. While the Cherries secured promotion back to the top flight, Woodman failed to make a league appearance (earning just a single outing in the FA Cup), stuck behind in-form Republic of Ireland international Mark Travers.
With his career in genuine jeopardy, or at least the potential he once had, Woodman needs to get regular, permanent game time away from St. James’ Park. He simply had to be moved on this summer, and that is why a move to Preston North End suits both parties so perfectly.
For Newcastle United, they have offloaded what was fast becoming a conundrum between the sticks.
The Magpies have even managed to generate a small cash fee for the move too - an ‘undisclosed fee’ stated by the club. It is not likely to have been a substantial fee, but it is still more than Newcastle would have got if they had released him (which was the trajectory that Woodman’s career was ultimately heading towards).
For the Croydon-born goalkeeper, there will have likely been a tinge of sadness leaving the club he has been at for 11 years, having joined the Magpies at age 14, but this is opportunity to push on and forge a real long-term career for himself. There is absolutely no doubting Woodman’s talents, but without regular football he will never surpass the mid-Championship level he is currently at.
At Deepdale, he will get that game time. He will be able to develop and grow. He will be tested and supported in a smaller, well-operated setup. Preston North End are unlikely to set the world alight. For a goalkeeper once touted as one of England’s next starlets between the sticks, Woodman will likely have bold aspirations to make it back to the Premier League. But for now, as he learns and gets games under his belt, it is the perfect proving ground.
As a Newcastle supporter, it almost feels wrong to say that I am glad to see Woodman leave, but I truly am. Not because of any disdain for the player, but rather for his benefit. It feels like, as a club, we are setting a young man free to go and make something of himself.
And who knows when we may cross paths with him again as a player. If history seeks to repeat itself, there are a good number of talented Newcastle youngsters who burnt out just beneath that Premier League level, only to move on, forge new careers and revisit St. James’ Park as a Premier League player (think Ivan Toney or Adam Armstrong in recent years).
If Woodman grasps the opportunity in front of him at Preston and grows as a player, which the three-year contract suggests he intends too, then 2021/22 might not be the last time the Premier League sees Woodman between the sticks.
For Newcastle, with one of the question marks in the goalkeeping position removed (and the potential still to move on Darlow as well) the club can push forward with their plan to sign England international Nick Pope from relegated Burnley, trading up significantly to provide Dubravka with serious competition going into the new season.