Newcastle United boss Steve Bruce has told The Northern Echo that Arsenal target Freddie Woodman will be loaned out again next season as things stand.
The Magpies already have one star goalkeeper in Martin Dubravka, with Karl Darlow serving as his solid backup for some time now.
Now, with Rob Elliot leaving the club, Newcastle have pounced to sign former Magpies youngster Mark Gillespie on a free transfer from Motherwell.
That’s three senior goalkeepers for Bruce to work with next season, as it looks like Woodman won’t be involved in the Newcastle first-team squad.
The 23-year-old has impressed on loan at Swansea City this season, and he certainly shouldn’t settle for sitting on the Newcastle bench.
Back in March, The Chronicle reported that Arsenal want to sign Woodman this summer. The stopper’s father Andy is a coach with the Gunners, and a return to London may be appealing for the former Crystal Palace man.
He may ultimately find a similar situation at Arsenal though; Bernd Leno is their first choice stopper, with Emiliano Martinez operating as his backup.
Now, Bruce has compared Woodman’s situation to that of Dean Henderson at Manchester United, believing that loaning him out continuously until he’s ready to play in the Newcastle first team is the right move rather than selling him.
“It’s vitally important he’s getting game time – a bit like the Dean Henderson situation at Man United,” said Bruce. “He’s playing, and it’s important for his career too that he’s playing regularly.”
“We have taken up the option on him (last summer), and in an ideal world, we (will) let him back out on loan again. That is probably where we’re at,” he added.
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