The Peterborough Evening Telegraph
Posh set to use loan market for new keeper
Posh chairman Darragh MacAnthony insists it would be a waste of money paying a fee for a new goalkeeper.
Posh are seeking two new number ones following the release of Dai Cornell and the placing of Christy Pym on the transfer list. Teenage Academy graduate Will Blackmore is expected to leave the club on a season-long loan.
The club’s fans were keen to see the return of Steven Benda from Swansea City. The German 23 year-old made a favourable impression on loan at London Road last season before picking up an injury.
Initially Posh were quoted £1million for Benda, but that has now dropped to £500k.
But MacAnthony believes Posh can be successful in League One with a loan goalkeeper and he has the stats to back his opinion up.
"Spending money on a goalkeeper in League One is not sensible,” MacAnthony explained. “We loved having Steven at our club, but he is just not affordable right now. We wont be spending a transfer fee on a goalkeeper nor paying wages that would make him our highest paid player on a League One budget.
"No club at our level would spend that sort of money on a goalkeeper and when fans started asking me to do it, I went and did some research. I was confident I knew what I would find. Wigan won League One last season with Ben Amos in goal. They signed him on a free transfer.
"Rotherham also went up with the goalkeeping duties shared by Viktor Johansson and Josh Vickers. They were both signed on free transfers. Sunderland were promoted through the play-offs with a goalkeeper who came up from the youth team.
"And none of the four clubs who were promoted from League Two paid money for their goalkeeper, so that’s seven promoted clubs who didn’t pay a fee for their ‘keeper. Exeter went up with a goalkeeper on loan from Sheffield Wednesday and I’m happy for us to go down that route.”
Posh are close to securing a deal for a new goalkeeper. It’s thought one of the two goalkeepers currently targeted is with a Premier League club.
Posh director of football Barry Fry, the man in charge of transfer negotiations at London Road said: “We’re not paying money for a new goalkeeper and we’re certainly not paying £500k for one.
"Benda was great for us and (Posh manager) Grant McCann was impressed with him, but he only played 11 games so it’s a small sample. It makes more financial sense for us to go down the loan route.
"We are close on a deal for one, but it could be we don’t announce anything until the end of June.”
There are many top-flight goalkeepers who could be available this season and the PT have found a few that could interest McCann.
NATHAN BISHOP
Age: 22. Club Manchester United.
An ever-present on loan at Mansfield in League Two last season. Could be looking to play one step higher.
ARTHUR OKONKWO
Age 20. Club Arsenal. Not yet been sent out on loan so limited experience, but he could cope at League One.
MATEJ KOVAR
Age: 22. Club: Manchester United. Finished last season on loan in League One with Burton Albion and kept four successive clean sheets. Previously played against Posh when on loan at Swindon, also in League One. Made 24 League One appearances in total so knows the standard.
BRANDON AUSTIN
Age 23. Club Spurs. If Spurs want Ronnie Edwards, maybe they can send us a decent goalie in part-exchange? Austin has never played a Football League game, but signed a new two-year deal at Spurs in March so must have ability. KRISTOFFER KLAESSON Age 21. Club Leeds United. This list was compiled before some random Posh fan declared on Twitter that he'd seen the Norwegian goalkeep
er in Tesco! Must be on his way then. Made his Premier League debut at Wolves as a substitute last season.
JAMES TRAFFORD
Age: 19. Club: Manchester City. The teenager was a big hit on loan at Bolton last season when he enjoyed a run of five successive clean sheets. He's also spent time on loan at Accrington.
NATHAN BAXTER
Age: 23. Club: Chelsea. Posh boss Grant McCann took Baxter to Hull last season and the Championship club want him back so bit of a long shot that he'd come to Posh instead.
JAMIE CUMMING
Age 22. Club Chelsea. Cumming impressed on loan at Gillingham and MK Dons last season so if he wants to continue his upward progression Posh would have a chance of getting him.
NATHAN TROTT
Age: 23. Club West Ham United. This goalkeeper spent last
season in French football. He'd previously played half a season for AFC Wimbledon.
Signing goalkeepers on loan is nothing unusual for Posh.
Josef Bursik only played six times for Posh after signing on an emergency loan from Stoke City and yet played a huge part in the club’s most recent promotion from League One. He saved a penalty when Posh won a crucial late-season fixture 1-0 at Charlton Athletic.
Jonathan Bond played 37 League One matches for Posh when on a season-long loan from West Bromwich Albion in the 2017-18 campaign. He is now with LS Galaxy in the United States.
And the previous season saw Luke McGee move to Posh on a season-long loan from Spurs. He was generally decent in his 39 League One appearances in the 201617 season and could return to
London Road next season as he is currently with League Two champions Forest Green Rovers. Both Bond and McGee were signed by current Posh boss McCann.
Going further back Fred Barber first joined Posh on loan from Walsall in 1989 and three years later he was a Wembley-winning playoff final goalkeeper as Posh reached the second tier for the first time in the club's history.
And way back in 1985 giant American goalkeeper Ian Feuer – he was a 6ft 7in former basketball player - pitched up from West Ham United to play for a struggling Posh side and promptly inspired a first win in 15 games and an immediate eight-game unbeaten run. Feuer was a superb ball-handling acrobat, but Posh had no money so couldn't buy him. Feuer was sold to Luton the following season for over half a million pounds!