I constantly read on here that Wes is not a PL goalkeeper , without any explanation as to the standards required in order to meet that description .
It is true that he can’t match the consistently high performances of the likes of Jordan Henderson and Nick Pope which is hardly surprising since they are England’s best two by some distance .
However , if we compare his performances over the season and particularly the last few weeks against those of some other goalkeepers of the top teams in the PL , it tells a different story .
During that same period , the likes of Onana at Man U , Raya at Arsenal and Allison at Liverpool have produced some absolutely shocking performances , the likes of which would have some on here going into meltdown if Wes had been responsible for anything approaching any of them .
The above mentioned have a combined transfer value in excess of £150 million and are all no doubt on wages well in excess of £100 , 000 per week .
As such , the idea that within our budget and wage structure we can easily go out and acquire a significantly better keeper than the one we already have is little more than a pipe dream .
In the meantime , I have no doubt that Wes will continue to make saves such as those against Nunez and Salah , both of which were outstanding by any standards .
To be fair, I’m not really bothered that some keepers others have paid a fortune for are poor. That’s their problem.
The point isn’t about his ability to save shots, it’s what he offers elsewhere in his game with what has become a modern day goalkeeper.
Someone who is able to pick out a team mate on the flanks in space from his hands or off the floor, able to command his area and launch a counter.
A keeper who is quick thinking, able to confidently leave his area and take control to help out his defenders, and if it’s on also pop a pass off to retain possession and take off the pressure from an opposing team.
If we are serious about progress, serious about being a team that keeps up with modern football then we need to keep up.
Sitting still with a keeper that isn’t up to what we need will hamper progress, no matter how good the outfield players are. We simply won’t have as much of the ball.
Modern football is also about scouting and using technology to identify players. We aren’t saying we need to chuck the funds the top clubs throw about, but be the club that gets them in before their big transfer.
And they will be out there, that’s for sure!
Fact is…Wes wouldn’t be replacing any other keeper in the Prem, and probably half the league below.
