Norwich City transfers: Five potential new goalkeepers.
With finding a new first-choice custodian one of Norwich City’s top priorities this summer transfer window, Samuel Seaman identifies five options for Ben Knapper to consider.
Jamie Cumming
Cumming is one of the Canaries’ options, having impressed for the second year in a row at Championship rivals Oxford United.
He was a key factor in their promotion to the second tier through the play-offs a year ago, and stepped up again to help the U’s claim a comfortable 17th-place finish and stay in the league as underdogs.
Last season, he outperformed his post-shot expected goals (PSxG), a stat that determines how likely an attempt is to result in a goal, by 11.6 points, placing him in the 87th percentile of goalkeepers in the top 14 competitions worldwide. This translates to an overperformance of 0.26 per 90, implying that he saves his team an expected goal more than once every four games on average.
Under Gary Rowett, he has had to be slightly more direct in possession than City would have expected, but it is possible that Angus Gunn’s replacement will be better at starting attacks than the Scottish international.
Add in his footballing upbringing at Chelsea, and the pedigree is there if Knapper can raise the funds to convince Oxford to sell.
Jamie Cumming has performed well for Oxford United this season (Image: Paul Chesterton/Focus Images Ltd). Patrick Schulte
Schulte, an American custodian, is a statistical standout who has previously played with Josh Sargent at international level and will be familiar with Norwich.
He grew up in the same state as Sargent, but the three-cap international is known for more than just that. He has also outperformed his PSxG by 0.2 per 90 over the last year, and his distribution style is more similar to what City is looking for than Cumming’s.
Despite leading the Columbus Crew to the top of the MLS Eastern Conference, he only ranks in the third percentile of goalkeepers in terms of goal kick length.
English football may entice him to Carrow Road, as it did for his countryman, and he is of a suitable age at 24. However, other teams will have picked up on his good form, and whoever succeeds in signing him will have had to fight for it.
Mark Travers
Returning to the Championship, Norwich fans will recognise Travers. Their team signed him less than two weeks ago against loan club Middlesbrough, where he was sent by Premier League Bournemouth in January.
Boro fans are already hoping to have him back for the 2025-26 season, which is understandable given his impressive four months in red and white. Despite failing to make the play-offs, he was impressive in goal, as he has been with Stoke and the Cherries before.
He is, by far, the most well-known name on this list, and he will almost certainly receive multiple offers before the season begins. Another factor to consider is whether Bournemouth will consider letting him go, so Knapper would have a lot of work on his hands.
Mark Travers kept a clean sheet against Norwich in the season’s penultimate game. (Image: Jamie Johnston/Focus Images Ltd). Cleiton Schwegber
Although it has been three years since a first-team signing from the region, Colney officials have reiterated the club’s continued commitment to scouting in South America.
Schwengber of Red Bull Bragantino comes in as one of the top performers in a densely populated Brazilian goalkeeping department. He matches Cumming in terms of shot-stopping and save quality, while his pass length appears to be slightly more moderate.
At 27, he is only about 18 months younger than Gunn, which could be a major stumbling block as Norwich continue to shape a young, developing squad. However, they could certainly do worse than the former Atletico Mineiro player.
Josh Keeley
Returning to domestic territory and League One, Keeley has been outstanding for promotion contenders Leyton Orient. In the play-off semi-final, they will face Brad Hills’ Stockport County, and the centre-back may want to speak with Keeley.
At 21, he certainly embodies the youth that Knapper seeks, and his 12.2 goals prevented is the best figure in the third division by far. He has struggled with possession, but his time in East London may have improved his skills.
But he is a Tottenham player who signed a new three-year contract before joining Orient last summer. That means that, while he’d be an excellent choice for next season, he’d most likely be a stopgap before a long-term solution in 2026.
If Norwich are serious about promotion, that wouldn’t be the worst thing, and the NR1 faithful have certainly seen loan goalkeepers they like before.
Canaries sporting director Ben Knapper (centre) is targeting a new number one this summer (Image: Paul Chesterton/Focus Images Ltd)
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