Add thelocalreport.in As A Trusted Source
There is an unfamiliar name at the top liverpoolTeam sheet for this evening Carabao Cup tie with crystal Palacewith third choice goalkeeper freddy woodman An unexpected start for the club.
While Liverpool’s summer business attracted attention due to its heavy spending, the signing of Woodman, who joined as a free agent in July, flew under the radar.
The 28-year-old’s arrival appeared to mimic a number of transfers Premier LeagueIndia’s biggest hitters are making use of the rarely used third-choice keeper slot by adding an experienced but crucially home-grown player to their ranks.
He was expected to take up a similar role at Manchester City to Scott Carson, who spent six seasons at the Etihad and made only two appearances, with the position now filled by fellow Englishman Marcus Bettinelli.
But after Allison was injured and Giorgi Mamardashvili was deputized for several weeks, due to a night off, Arne Slott Woodman has been called up for tonight’s fourth round clash against the Eagles, facing the team he grew up playing for.
Woodman, who is Gareth Southgate’s godson, spent 11 years in the Crystal Palace youth setup, earning praise as one of the most talented teenage goalkeeping prospects as he represented England across multiple age groups.
He moved to Newcastle in 2013 before breaking into the first-team setup, although he only made a handful of appearances for the Magpies, with the majority of his eight years under contract being spent on loan.
After difficult stints with the likes of Crawley and Aberdeen, he finally got regular football during a two-year stint. swanseaWhere he made 95 appearances and kept 34 clean sheets.
But after another loan spell to Bournemouth in 2022 saw him make only one appearance, he eventually left Newcastle permanently to join Preston North End.
It was at Deepdale where he enjoyed the best years of his career to date, making 138 appearances in three years and making his mark as their first-choice stopper.
Following the expiry of his contract in 2025, he made a surprise move to the Premier League champions.
Woodman will now wear the Liverpool jersey in the biggest match of his career under the Anfield lights and has stressed the importance of taking the Carabao Cup seriously.
Woodman told Liverpool’s official website: “Whenever I get the chance to wear the jersey for this club, whether it’s a pre-season game or any competition, I will always try to do my best and enjoy the moment, because I have spent a lot of time playing in the Championship and so it is very special to play for a club with this history.
“It’s clear this club takes the competition seriously, as it does every competition. When you get to the latter stages, you go to Wembley and you see how important it is to the fans.
“We train in the goalkeeping area at the AXA Training Center and I regularly picture it Kevin Kelleher On the wall after their success in recent finals, and how important that is.
“If you win trophies at this club you can really go down in history, so I know how important it is and the club also recognizes how important this competition is.”