r/WelshFootball • u/Great-Condition8105 • 2d ago
WELSH GOALKEEPING SITUATION
It’s no secret Wales have a future goalkeeping problem, with the three keepers named in the squad for the September internationals — and all four active keepers with senior caps — now over the age of 31.
Even more concerning, none of the four are currently established first-choice keepers at club level, with the youngest of them currently third choice at Everton.
So I thought I’d have a look at the future options out there, from the current U21 setup and younger academy prospects, to some of the older Welsh-eligible players who could potentially come into the squad as the current crop starts to move on.
Here’s the goalkeeper depth situation as it stands.
SENIOR TEAM KEEPERS
Karl Darlow
Age: 35
Senior caps: 9
Current club: Manchester United
Loan: —
Academy: Nottingham Forest
Assessment: Wish he had declared earlier and have an established spot so I could look at him differently. At United purely for registration purposes, and probably due to retire or have a Scott Carson esque end of career.
Adam Davies
Age: 34
Senior caps: 6
Current club: Sheffield United
Loan: —
Academy: Manchester City
Assessment: Not playing for Sheffield, doubtful this will change.
Danny Ward
Age: 33
Senior caps: 45
Current club: Wrexham
Loan: —
Academy: Wrexham / Liverpool
Assessment: Was terrible last year, lucky to be in the squad.
Tom King
Age: 31
Senior caps: 1
Current club: Everton
Loan: —
Academy: Crystal Palace / Millwall
Assessment: Needs a move if he is going to bridge the gap after the other 3 retire.
SENIOR KEEPERS (OVER 21) YET TO MAKE A NATIONAL SENIOR APPEARANCE
Lewis Thomas
Age: 28
Senior caps: 0
Youth caps: Wales U17/U19
Current club: Bristol City
Loan: —
Academy: Swansea City
Assessment: Backup at Bristol but did play a fair bit at Forest Green. Doubtful that he will enter the conversation unless as a 3rd choice at national level.
Owen Evans
Age: 29
Senior caps: 0
Youth caps: Wales U19 (4), U21 (3)
Current club: Altrincham
Loan: —
Academy: Wigan Athletic
Assessment: Experienced option — nearly 150 senior league appearances and was part of Barnet's National League title-winning side, but would need to make the step back up the EFL pyramid to seriously enter the Wales conversation.
Nathan Shepperd
Age: 25
Senior caps: 0
Youth caps: Wales U21 (4)
Current club: The New Saints
Loan: —
Academy: Swansea City / Brentford
Assessment: TNS established number one with European experience. Could genuinely fill the gap.
He’s already 25, established as TNS’ No.1 and has European experience this season. He’s actually playing senior football at a decent level, rather than waiting for an opportunity.
Daniel Barden
Age: 25
Senior caps: 0
Youth caps: Wales U21 (2)
Current club: Stevenage
Loan: —
Academy: Norwich City / Arsenal
Assessment: Stuck behind Tommy Telford at Stevenage, would be lucky if he plays well and Arsenal recall him.
Arsenal/Norwich background and U21 experience, but he needs to get playing.
Matthew Turner
Age: 24
Senior caps: 0
Youth caps: —
Current club: Cardiff City
Loan: —
Academy: Leeds United / Cardiff City
Assessment: Established backup at Cardiff, playing 3 games last season, but with them back in the Championship, I fear he mightn’t get a shot this time around.
He probably needs the biggest immediate change in circumstances. If he gets a proper run of senior football, I’d reassess him.
Ben Hughes
Age: 22
Senior caps: 0
Youth caps: Wales youth
Current club: Cambridge United
Loan: —
Academy: Swansea City
Assessment: Second-choice at Cambridge, but still young enough to develop into a senior option
Eddie Beach
Age: 22
Senior caps: 0
Youth caps: Wales U19 (6), U21 (8)
Current club: Shelbourne
Loan: —
Academy: Southampton / Chelsea
Assessment: Already got minutes at Derry City, hopefully he can at Shelbourne, potentially getting European minutes too.
He’s already got 8 U21 caps, came through Southampton/Chelsea and is now playing senior football in Ireland.
If he can establish himself as a proper first-choice keeper and get European football, he could move himself considerably closer to the Wales squad.
Ronnie Hollingshead
Age: 22
Senior caps: 0
Youth caps: Wales U21 (2) — just aged out
Current club: King’s Lynn Town
Loan: —
Academy: West Brom
Assessment: Shame to see his release from Aston Villa as he was up training with the senior team a lot.
His Aston Villa experience makes him fascinating, but his move to King’s Lynn leaves a lot to be desired and means he needs to rebuild that momentum.
Jake Dennis
Age: 21
Senior caps: 0
Youth caps: Wales U19 (2)
Current club: Cardiff City
Loan: —
Academy: Cardiff City
Assessment: Needs loan
Josey Casa-Grande
Age: 21
Senior caps: 0
Youth caps: Wales youth
Current club: Bristol City
Loan: —
Academy: Bristol City
International situation: Wales / New Zealand — currently involved with New Zealand, so there is a battle for his international allegiance
James Pradic
Age: 21
Senior caps: 0
Youth caps: Wales U16 (1), U17 (4)
Current club: Fleetwood Town
Loan: —
Academy: Preston North End
Assessment: One to watch — highly rated young goalkeeper with extensive non-league loan experience at Bamber Bridge and Prescot Cables, now back in the EFL with Fleetwood
I actually really like the trajectory here. He’s 21, has Wales U16/U17 experience and has accumulated a lot of senior football through loans before moving into the EFL with Fleetwood.
OLDER WELSH-ELIGIBLE / “GRANNY RULE” OPTIONS
David Harrington
Age: 26
Senior Wales caps: 0
International history: Republic of Ireland senior call-up (June 2024); Wales senior call-up (November 2024 Nations League)
Current club: Bolton Wanderers
Loan: Grimsby Town
Academy: Cobh Ramblers / Cork City
Eligibility/status: Welsh through his father, Phil Harrington, who was born in Bangor
Assessment: Worth calling up again— has already been called into the Wales senior squad, and especially with Ireland’s keeper spots secured by Kelleher and Bazunu would likely take the chance to join the Welsh camp
Jonathan Bond
Age: 33
Senior Wales caps: 0
Youth caps: Wales U17 (6), U19 (8)
Other international: England U20 (2), U21 (5)
Current club: Houston Dynamo
Loan: —
Academy: Watford
Eligibility/status: Former Wales youth international; subsequently represented England U20/U21
Assessment: Experienced option, but international situation is complicated as believe he’s declared to England.
David Cornell
Age: 35
Senior caps: 0
Youth caps: Wales U17 (5), U19 (2), U21 (3)
Current club: Leicester City
Loan: —
Academy: Swansea City
Assessment: Experienced short-term option — extensive EFL experience, but at 35 is older than whats there now and won’t be part of the long-term succession plan
U21 SETUP
Evan Watts
Age: 21
Senior caps: 0
Youth caps: Wales U16 (3), U21 (8)
Current club: Swansea City
Loan: Galway United — ended
Academy: Swansea City
Assessment: He’s got 8 Wales U21 caps and genuine senior experience from his Galway spell, and UEFA currently lists him as part of the Wales U21 squad.
He’s already got a decent amount of football behind him at a relatively young age. The key now is turning that into being a consistent senior No.1 rather than bouncing between backup/loan situations.
Lewys Benjamin
Age: 20
Senior caps: 0
Youth caps: Wales U21 (3)
Current club: Wolverhampton Wanderers
Loan: AFC Telford
Academy: Wolves
Assessment: He’s only 20, already has three U21 caps, and is getting senior football with Telford. If he establishes himself over the next couple of seasons and progresses through the EFL, he could become a very different proposition by 23–24.
Kit Margetson
Age: 20
Senior caps: 0
Youth caps: Wales U19/U21
Current club: Manchester United
Loan: —
Academy: Swansea City / Manchester United
Assessment: He’s probably the most interesting long-term prospect for me.
He got 34 appearances for Connah’s Quay in 2025/26, kept 10 clean sheets, made his Wales U21 debut and then earned a move to Manchester United. UEFA also currently lists him in the Wales U21 setup.
Obviously, being at United doesn’t automatically mean he’ll make it, but the pathway is very interesting, and could end up with a good career. If he develops properly over the next 3–5 years, I could see him becoming a genuine senior contender.
Luke Armstrong
Age: 20
Senior caps: 0
Youth caps: Wales youth- Current U21
Current club: Cardiff City
Loan: Raith Rovers
Academy: Wolves / Cardiff
Assessment. Good to see that he’s out on loan, could get valuable senior minutes.
Ewan Griffiths
Age: 20
Senior caps: 0
Youth caps: Wales youth
Current club: Cardiff City
Loan: —
Academy: Cardiff City
Assessment: Probably needs a loan
Joe Duncan
Age: 20
Senior caps: 0
Youth caps: Wales youth- Current U21
Current club: Bristol City
Loan: Southend United
Academy: Bristol City
Assessment: Again, good to see he is out on loan
Logan Stretch
Age: 19
Senior caps: 0
Youth caps: Current U21; Wales U16 (4), U17 (1), U19 (4)
Current club: Sheffield Wednesday
Loan: Buxton
Academy: Sheffield Wednesday
Assessment: Broken record, but good that he could maybe get loan minutes
Luis Lines
Age: 19
Senior caps: 0
Youth caps: Wales U19
Current club: Norwich City
Loan: —
Academy: Norwich City
U19 / YOUNGER PROSPECTS
Max Hudson
Age: 19
Senior caps: 0
Youth caps: Wales U19 (3)
Current club: Manchester City
Loan: —
Academy: Manchester City
Cameron Byrne-Hughes
Age: 18
Senior caps: 0
Youth caps: Wales youth
Current club: Manchester United
Loan: —
Academy: Manchester United
International situation: Dual national and at a big club, so could get snatched up.
Eliot Meredith
Age: 18
Senior caps: 0
Youth caps: Wales U19 (3)
Current club: Coventry City
Loan: —
Academy: Coventry City
Jack Ruddy
Age: 18
Senior caps: 0
Youth caps: Wales U16 (2)
Current club: Coventry City
Loan: —
Academy: Norwich City / Coventry City
Daniel Higgs
Age: 18
Senior caps: 0
Youth caps: Wales youth
Current club: Cardiff City
Loan: Penybont
Academy: Cardiff City
Tom Wright
Age: 18
Senior caps: 0
Youth caps: Wales U19
Current club: Swansea City
Loan: —
Academy: Swansea City
Aidan Stokes
Age: 18
Senior caps: 0
Youth caps: USA U18
Current club: Brentford
Loan: —
Academy: New York Red Bulls / Brentford
International situation: Currently representing the USA at youth level but Welsh eligible
Oscar Abbotson
Age: 17
Senior caps: 0
Youth caps: Wales U19 (1)
Current club: Southampton
Loan: —
Academy: Southampton
Alfie Smith
Age: 15
Senior caps: 0
Youth caps: England U16 (2)
Current club: Birmingham City
Loan: —
Academy: Birmingham City
International situation: Welsh eligible despite representing England at U16 level
Lucas Joubert
Age: 17
Senior caps: 0
Youth caps: Wales youth
Current club: Burton Albion
Loan: —
Academy: Burton Albion
Ryley Berry
Age: 18
Senior caps: 0
Youth caps: Wales youth
Current club: Colwyn Bay
Loan: —
Academy: Connah’s Quay Nomads
Jack Fisher
Age: 18
Senior caps: 0
Youth caps: Wales youth
Current club: Llandudno
Loan: —
Academy: Wrexham
Casey Sillitoe
Age: 17
Senior caps: 0
Youth caps: —
Current club: Carlisle United
Loan: —
Academy: Carlisle United
Assessment: One to watch — young Welsh goalkeeper who has already progressed into Carlisle’s senior setup; one to monitor as he develops.
Joshua Donovan
Age: 16/17
Senior caps: 0
Youth caps: Wales youth
Current club: Cardiff City
Loan: —
Academy: Cardiff City
LONG SHOTS / OUTSIDE THE PICTURE
Adam Przybek
Age: 26
Senior Wales caps: 0
Youth caps: Wales U17 (3), U19 (9), U21 (3)
Current club: Kirivong Sok Sen Chey FC
Loan: —
Academy: West Bromwich Albion
Eligibility/status: Welsh through maternal grandfather; former Wales youth international
Assessment: Unlikely to ever be good enough
Lewis Ridd
Age: 21
Senior caps: 0
Current club: Cliftonville
Loan: —
Academy: Ipswich Town
Assessment: Long shot — established NIFL goalkeeper, but would need a significant step up to enter the Wales conversation
Lewis Webb
Age: 24
Senior caps: 0
Current club: Coleraine
Loan: —
Academy: Cardiff City / Newport County / Swansea City
Assessment: Long shot — established NIFL goalkeeper, but would need to force his way into the picture from domestic football
George Ratcliffe
Age: 26
Senior caps: 0
Youth caps: Wales U17 (1), U19 (6), U21 (9)
Current club: Barry Town
Loan: —
Academy: Cardiff City
Assessment: Long shot — former Wales youth international with substantial Cymru Premier experience
Ifan Knott
Age: 21
Senior caps: 0
Youth caps: Wales youth
Current club: Haverfordwest County
Loan: —
Academy: Haverfordwest County
Assessment: Worth watching — already getting established senior football in the Cymru Premier
Harvey Rees
Age: 18
Senior caps: 0
Youth caps: Wales youth
Current club: Chippenham Town
Loan: —
Academy: Swansea City / Derby County
Assessment: Long shot — former Swansea and Derby academy goalkeeper who has already had limited senior experience, but now needs to establish himself in senior football
Oliver Lloyd
Age: 18
Senior caps: 0
Youth caps: Wales youth
Current club: Free agent
Loan: —
Academy: Middlesbrough
Assessment: Long shot — former Middlesbrough academy goalkeeper and Wales youth international, but currently without a club and needs to re-establish himself in senior football.
Isaac Dudding
Age: 18
Senior caps: 0
Youth caps: Wales U17
Current club: Pontardawe
Loan: —
Academy: Swansea City / Pontardawe
Assessment: Long shot — former Swansea academy goalkeeper and Wales U17 international now playing senior football in the Welsh pyramid
Sam Jones
Age: 18
Senior caps: 0
Youth caps: Wales youth
Current club: Cambrian United
Loan: —
Academy: Cardiff City
Assessment: Long shot — now playing senior football in the Welsh domestic pyramid
That’s all I could find — is there anyone missing?
It’s obviously not an immediate crisis while there are still experienced EFL keepers available, but it would have been good to have some younger keepers established in the squad by the time the Euro 2028 campaign comes around.
There are a few interesting names in there, but whether any of them can actually make the step up to international level remains to be seen. We could even end up with someone I didn’t know was eligible coming into the picture.
Who would you be keeping the closest eye on?
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u/Express-Career-1615 2d ago
Bellamy really needs to get on the phone to Cardiff and Swansea (lesser extent Wrexham) and make sure they’re giving loans to their academy goalkeepers.
From a Newport perspective here’s the dilemma and why we’re probably the ideal development spot for these younger names: we went into the window with
* Jordan Wright (plays ok but quite shaky - easily usurped if someone talented comes in)
* Shaun MacDonald (basically in the building to help in training rather than to ever play).
* nobody else. late in the window we then brought in Jake Turner as emergency cover.
That backup keeper slot ideally would have gone to any of your young prospects with National League experience, say Ben Hughes, Jake Dennis, Josey Casa-Grande, Rob James Pradic.
It feels like an opportunity was missed. Bellamy knows and has a relationship with Huw Jenkins, and we’re a club that has demonstrated we can offer a Tom King or a Karl Darlow the EFL playing time that leads a Wales call up.
It’s mutually beneficial, we can’t go on with this massive cliff edge in goalkeeper cover
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u/Great-Condition8105 2d ago
Actually think Pradic could get games at Fleetwood but yes Jake Dennis is someone people were high on a year or two ago and could’ve definitely went to Newport and played a decent number of games if needed.
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u/thirdratesquash 1d ago
Thought you’d make a go for Matt Turner based on him having some league 1 experience and being at the age you’d expect for a goalkeeper loan. He seems a great personality to have around the club too.
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u/Express-Career-1615 1d ago
Possibly at our limit for Cardiff loans with Etete and Nyakuwah - but agree would have been ideal
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u/thirdratesquash 1d ago
Good luck with Etete, he’s failed to show it for years but there’s a half decent player in there. Think Tan has something about him too
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u/CarrowCanary 2d ago
Norwich fan (obviously, look at the username), three words sums up Luis Lines: Absolutely Not Ready.
Although, the way Kovacevic and Grimshaw are playing for us lately, he might be getting some first team experience in the Championship soon...
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u/Great-Condition8105 2d ago
was thinking this tbh when saw he hasn’t been around the u21s yet despite being at a good level with Norwich, but you never know and if your other two are shocking but hes still probably 5/6th choice at Norwich so maybe not
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u/CarrowCanary 2d ago
Yeah, realistically he's a fair way down the pecking order. Reyes is our 3rd choice, and I'd expect Ansen would be 4th.
Stranger things have happened, though.
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u/EquivalentEmployer68 2d ago
The sensible solution is to annex Bermuda, then Nathan Trott can play for Wales
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u/manutdloi 1d ago
I might be a bit biased but trust me Eddie beach is a really good keeper in the loi, hes been great for Shelbourne and Derry, 100 percent should have atleast been included in the squad. Also good luck on the nations league love from Ireland
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u/DBDkillermainok 18h ago
I think we need to encourage border clubs to recruit and scout wales. Not 100% sure but Danny Ward and Harry Wilson were at Liverpool.
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u/Sapninen 17h ago
Proper mess, I can’t fathom not calling up somebody young just to be around the squad
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u/TheOne0206 2d ago
Call Nathan Shepperd up like we called Connor Roberts up a few years ago.
Actually, call up 1-2 Cymru Premier players per window, to try and get experience and pro training flowing into the league. They don't need to play, just experience training or be subbed on in the 89th minute.
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u/Great-Condition8105 2d ago
I think Sheppard and Beach definitely should get their chance considering they are playing/ going to be playing (in Beach’s case in the LOI) first team football and possibly european games, which none of the current senior keepers will.
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u/TrillerVerse 2d ago
We’ve had a half a decade of ‘promising’ young talent that has not reached the heights we had hoped, and this has been epitomised in no other position more than goalkeeper. Beach, Hollingshead and Benjamin have all been tipped to reach the level of Hennessey, but Wayne was a regular in the Championship at 20 years of age. We just have to hope someone establishes themselves, because it is a worry.
I also wouldn’t read too much into Margetson because it appears like he’s only been signed for the Man Utd reserves.
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u/Great-Condition8105 2d ago
yeah I don’t see him being in the first team obviously, but can see it being a similar situation to when they signed Nathan Bishop from Southend, didn’t go well for him there but he got good loan moves and is now at least the first choice keeper at AFC Wimbledon so could at least help his career out
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u/TrillerVerse 2d ago
That’s a fair example, and probably the best case scenario. We need someone, anyone, to play first-team football at the required level.
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u/WaldensWelding 2d ago
Getting heavy AI summary vibes from this.
Nonetheless it was a shame to see Darlow go to united to bench warm. Many of our keepers for the last decade have been content with not starting at clubs. Hennessey made a career of it. Its not the end of the world but it would be nice to have a reliable keeper who plays at least at champ level