On January transfer deadline day, Newcastle United goalkeeper joined AFC Bournemouth until the end of the season. Woodman had previous success in the Championship with Swansea City but hasn’t had much of a sniff so far for the Cherries.
The only appearance that Woodman has made was in the FA Cup. Unfortunately for Bournemouth, they were beaten by non-league side Boreham Wood 1-0. Mark Travers has been starting the league matches for the Cherries and has done really well.
Travers has 13 clean sheets for Bournemouth and is touted as one of the brightest goalkeeping prospects in that division.
It seems that Bournemouth really didn’t need to bring Woodman in
The Cherries needed to bring in another keeper, however, they didn’t necessarily need Woodman. Considering how well Travers has done he has clearly established himself as the club’s number one.
Woodman has proven in the past that he too can be one of the best goalkeepers in the Championship. He won the golden glove last season with Swansea as they reached the play-off final. Sitting on the Bournemouth bench is a real waste of his talents.
It makes you wonder if another Championship club have done with his services.
However, perhaps Woodman is offering a lot behind the scenes. He is only 25-years-old but has played in the Premier League and on many occasions for England at youth level. That experience may be useful for the other keepers on the books of the Cherries.
But from a Newcastle perspective, seeing him constantly on the bench as an unused substitute is incredibly frustrating. When we’ve seen what he can do previously, it leaves a bit of a sour taste.
It could be detrimental to his time on Tyneside too. His Newcastle future is certainly up in the air, with speculation that Eddie Howe could bring in a new goalkeeper this summer.
With Woodman already low down the pecking order, it doesn’t look good for him.
At one point some fans thought he would become a future Newcastle number one, but that doesn’t feel at all likely right now.