Sheffield Wednesday are keen on re-signing their January loanees, with James Beadle looking like a top target.
Barring Kristian Pedersen, Sheffield Wednesday are eager to re-sign their January loan arrivals; Ian Poveda, Ike Ugbo, and James Beadle.
Beadle looks like a top target given the goalkeeper situation at Hillsborough, with Pierce Charles currently their only first-team goalkeeper on the books for next season.
Cameron Dawson is out of contract next month but has been offered a new deal. However, there’ll be reservations among fans about him being the no.1 next season.
19-year-old Beadle came in on loan from Brighton in January and proved to be a huge upgrade on Sheffield Wednesday academy man Dawson, keeping eight clean sheets in 19 Championship outings for the Owls.
Sheffield Wednesday News recently revealed that Brighton will definitely loan out Beadle this summer. But the Seagulls have since parted ways with manager Roberto De Zerbi, which could potentially delay a loan return for England U20 man Beadle.
Amid the uncertainty, there’s one goalkeeper who Danny Rohl and co should be keeping an eye on.
John Ruddy facing Birmingham City uncertainty
Birmingham City were relegated on the final day of the 2023/24 season, finishing three points behind Sheffield Wednesday in the end.
And the club recently announced their retained list, revealing that experienced goalkeeper John Ruddy has been handed a new deal with his current one expiring next month.
Since, Alan Nixon has revealed that the 37-year-old former Norwich City and Wolves man, and one-cap England shot-stopper is weighing up staying at Birmingham City or reuniting with former boss John Eustace at Blackburn Rovers.
Birmingham City have had to offer Ruddy a reduced deal ahead of the 2024/25 season following their relegation from the Championship.
And amid the uncertainty over a return for Beadle, Rohl may find a shrewd goalkeeper addition in Ruddy this summer.
John Ruddy to Sheffield Wednesday analysis
The first thing that Ruddy brings to the table is experience; he has 53 career appearances to his name, with 172 clean sheets in that time, with three Championship promotions to his name (two with Norwich City and one with Wolves).
Ruddy has been named in the Championship Team of the Season in the past and also in the EFL Team of the Season, winning a Championship Golden Glove and Player of the Season awards with both Norwich and Birmingham City.
The main concern Sheffield Wednesday may have about Ruddy is whether or not he’d suit the playing style in S6.
Beadle was arguably bought in because of his ability to play out from the back, then going on to prove his worth as an actual shot-stoper as well.
In the Championship this season, Beadle averaged 20.8 passes per game compared to Ruddy’s 18.3 per Sofascore, though Ruddy averaged more passes in the opposition half (5.2 compared to Beadle’s 3.9), potentially showcasing his confidence in getting himself and his team further up the pitch.
Ruddy also averaged 3.5 saves per game compared to Beadle’s 2.8, keeping 11 clean sheets in the whole Championship season last year.
So there may well be a case to argue that Ruddy could suit Rohl’s passing style of play just as much as Beadle, with his save stats showing that Ruddy is just as a good of a shot-stoper too.
On top of that, Ruddy brings a wealth of experience, which if Sheffield Wednesday add a horde of youngsters to their ranks this season, could prove vital in the next 2024/25 season.
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