A penny for your thoughts Joe Lewis and Gary Woods?
The Aberdeen goalkeepers have watched as one goalkeeper after another has been linked with a move to Pittodrie in the last six months.
Jim Goodwin and Stephen Glass are two very different managers, but they have shared one common trait during their time in charge at Pittodrie – both men want a new goalkeeper on board.
Glass held talks with St Johnstone goalkeeper Zander Clark about signing a pre-contract before being dismissed in February following the club’s Scottish Cup exit at Motherwell.
His successor Goodwin clearly shares Glass’ sentiment goalkeeping reinforcements are required after turning his attention to his former St Mirren goalkeeper Jack Alnwick within weeks of his arrival.
Hibernian were also interested in Alnwick, but he has joined Cardiff City rather than extending his stay in Scottish football.
Hladky the new target for Aberdeen
When it became clear Alnwick’s decision was made a few weeks ago, Goodwin switched targets to former Buddies goalkeeper Vaclav Hladky.
Hladky spent the whole of his career in Czechoslovakia before making the move to Paisley, where he spent 18 months.
His form for Saints caught the eye of Salford City in August 2020.
He had an excellent campaign with Salford and was named in the PFA League Two team of the year after keeping 24 clean sheets in 53 appearances.
His performances prompted Ipswich Town to bring Hladky to Portman Road for an undisclosed fee last summer.
However, with Christian Walton having established himself as the first-choice keeper at the Tractor Boys, Hladky has been restricted to just 14 appearances for his club with his last appearance coming in December.
Ipswich – who have freed another goalkeeper in Tomas Holy – are reportedly willing to let Hladky leave, but will be looking to recoup at least part of the fee they paid Salford for the 31-year-old a year ago.
That has not deterred Goodwin, who has expressed his admiration for the goalkeeper.
What does the future hold for Aberdeen’s current custodians?
It will come as a huge surprise if the Dons don’t make a move for Hladky at this point, but perhaps the bigger question is where does the arrival of a new goalkeeper leave the current incumbents at Pittodrie?
Lewis is club captain and was given the armband again on the pitch following Scott Brown’s departure in March.
The former England youth goalkeeper, who joined the Dons on in 2016, has two years remaining on his existing deal after signing a new five-year deal in 2019.
He has been first choice at the club since his arrival six years ago with former Dons boss Derek McInnes hailing his new contract three years ago as a measure of how highly Lewis was rated at the club.
Change in style appeared to affect Lewis’ confidence
But Lewis has not escaped the fallout from Aberdeen’s on-field struggles this season with some inconsistent displays and Glass’ desire to play out from the back seeming to take its toll on the 34-year-old.
Woods’ inability to capitalise when given the chance ahead of Lewis will also be a factor in Goodwin’s desire to look for fresh competition.
The duo should not be surprised.
Sunday’s goalless draw against St Mirren to conclude the campaign was just the seventh recorded by the team in all competition across the entire campaign. Clearly it is not good enough.
A ropey defence has been punished and as is often the case it is the goalkeepers who find themselves in the spotlight because of it, too.
With three goalkeepers targeted by the two managers at various points this season, it seems inevitable a new arrival is imminent at Pittodrie.
It is also up for debate whether that will be one too many on the books as far as the manager is concerned, and Lewis has already made it clear he is ready for the challenge of proving himself number one at Pittodrie.
While Lewis has two years remaining on his deal, Woods has 12 months of his contract left.
Unless one of the goalkeepers has a burning desire to leave, moving either on could be a costly exercise.
