Wolverhampton Wanderers’ Will Norris deserves to compete with Rui Patricio if John Ruddy quits Molineux.
With slightly over a month until Wolverhampton Wanderers make their long-awaited return to the Premier League stage, one of the men who helped them win promotion last season, John Ruddy, might find himself at something of a crossroads.
Ruddy, a free signing from Norwich City last summer, did his bit as Wolves won promotion back to the top flight for the first time since 2010, playing 45 of their 46 Championship games.
However, manager Nuno Espirito Santo has already replaced the 31-year-old as his first-choice goalkeeper following the addition of Portugal international Rui Patricio last month.
On one hand, Ruddy will want to compete with Patricio for the number one shirt in a bid to play top-flight football once again, but this is a player with 118 Premier League appearances under his belt already, so it wouldn’t be a major surprise if he elected to leave Molineux in search of regular football in the Championship perhaps – and that could be good news for Wanderers youngster Will Norris.
The 24-year-old signed a new deal with Wolves last week after impressing in a series of League Cup and FA Cup outings last season, and Nuno could and should promote him to second choice behind Patricio.
If Ruddy leaves, Wanderers fans might call on the Portuguese manager to sign a replacement, but Norris, who kept a clean sheet against Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City last term, has shown plenty of promise since joining the West-Midlands club 12 months ago.
Going with Norris as opposed to signing an experienced back-up for Patricio would undoubtedly represent a gamble, but it would be a big shame if a goalkeeper as talented as Norris was nowhere near the first team for most of next season and relegated to third choice.
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