A surprising story has arisen this morning in that Leeds United want Wes Foderingham in January, according to the Express.
The English shot-stopper has made just three appearances for Rangers this season, with no league outings to his name. Instead, all of Foderingham’s displays have come in Betfred Cup action before being dropped for Allan McGregor in the semi-final against Aberdeen.
The Mark Warburton signing has been thrown down to number two since McGregor’s arrival. Nobody can state that it wasn’t the right move by Rangers, but it was a blow to Foderingham.
Leeds are looking for a goalkeeper to replace Bailey Peacock-Farrell. The Northern Ireland international is nursing a knock whilst back-up goalkeeper Jamal Blackman is out with a broken leg.
Foderingham would certainly fit the bill for the English side. He’s managed to make a total of 133 appearances for Rangers over the course of a three-and-a-half year spell so far. He helped the Gers climb out of the Championship with ease before helping them become competitive in the top division again.
Sad to see him go?
If the move does go ahead, he will have plenty of supporters who will be sad to see him go. He was one of Rangers’ more consistent performers, and didn’t often let himself down.
Foderingham does have his faults. He isn’t particularly commanding in his penalty box, and is dodgy at dealing with long-range strikes. His shot-stopping from close-range, however, is of a high quality.
Interest in the Englishman was always going to arrive given his lack of game-time. Rangers, however, also need a number two at the same time. Foderingham leaving would leave a hole that would need to be filled in January.
Of course, third-choice goalkeeper Jak Alnwick is returning from Scunthorpe United in January. The English side want to keep him down south for the season, but a move for Foderingham could scupper those plans.
That is unless Steven Gerrard would plan on buying a new goalkeeper. That would seem unnecessary however given the fact Alnwick is also capable to deputise on the rare occasion that McGregor isn’t match-fit.
It remains to be seen if anything comes of Leeds’ interest. In terms of Foderingham’s future, however, you get the sense that this is only the beginning of the speculation.
