Swansea City Target League One Goalkeeper After Missing Out On Former Lincoln City Man

Championship side Swansea City are interested in signing League One Huddersfield Town’s goalkeeper Lee Nicholls after potentially losing out on their number one target Carl Rushworth to Premier League newcomers Ipswich Town, according to Alan Nixon. 

Swansea City had identified former Lincoln City and Walsall goalkeeper Carl Rushworth as their number one target this summer, after spending the 2023/24 season on loan at the Liberty Stadium. However, it has become increasingly clear that recently promoted Premier League side Ipswich Town will look to secure the 22-year-old’s signature from Brighton and Hove Albion, all but ruling the Championship side out of the race.

Instead manager Luke Williams has turned his attention to Huddersfield Town goalkeeper Lee Nicholls. The 31-year-old has been with the Terriers since 2021 after joining from MK Dons. He has made 115 appearances for the club keeping 35 clean sheets in the process. Nicholls also spent a significant period at The Dons, making 157 appearances after joining from then Championship side Wigan Athletic in 2016. He has also had spells at Bristol Rovers, Northampton Town, Accrington Stanley, Sheffield Wednesday, Shrewsbury Town and Hartlepool United.

It is reported that the recently relegated League One side will demand a ‘decent fee’ for the goalkeeper, but the offer is likely to be much lower than the amount demanded, so it remains to be seen whether a deal can be struck.

Are Swansea City right to move on from Rushworth?

Rushworth has the potential to be a solid Premier League goalkeeper and every move to date he has gone up a league. He has impressed at every step, including Lincoln and Walsall and when he continued his form into the second tier there was only ever one destination for the talented Englishman. Although he is not quite ready for a step into the Brighton first team, a move to one of the recently promoted Premier League sides could be ideal for a player looking to progress his career. With the England goalkeeping department needing some fresh blood, Rushworth could be the man to do it.

Can Hudderfield afford to lose Nicholls?

The goalkeeping market is a competitive one, there aren’t a large pool of players with experience at this level. Therefore unless they can poach another club’s keeper this summer they may struggle. That is, unless they move for a high profile loan or look to give experience to an up and coming talent.