With Everton down to just a single fit goalkeeper with Premier League experience in the shape of Asmir Begovic and the summer transfer window having now closed, Frank Lampard is understood to be exploring the possibility of bringing in a free agent to provide cover for the Bosnia and Herzegovina international.
But who could the Blues go for? Jordan Pickford suffered a thigh injury during his impressive display for Everton against Liverpool in last Saturday’s goalless draw in the Merseyside Derby and the England number one is not expected to return to action for the Blues until after the next international break. Lampard’s veteran third choice keeper Andy Lonergan, who penned a second one-year deal at Goodison Park in July but has yet to play for the club, is also currently sidelined with a knee injury while Joao Virginia, who made three appearances in 2020/21 and Harry Tyrer are out on loan at Eredivisie side Cambuur and National League North outfit Chester respectively.
In terms of other goalkeepers with first team experience, Billy Crellin is Lampard’s only alternative at the club at this moment. The 22-year-old was named as a late substitute for the Carabao Cup tie against his previous club Fleetwood Town last month after Tom Davies pulled out of the pre-match warm-up injured.
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Blackpool-born Crellin made 13 senior appearances for the League One outfit and had loan spells with non-League sides FC United of Manchester and Chorley as well as turning out 16 times for Bolton Wanderers when the Trotters were in the fourth tier. If Everton do look to explore the free agent market though there are some more experienced options available.
One such potentially-controversial option Loris Karius has just been ruled out though with the German joining Premier League rivals Newcastle United after Nick Pope’s understudy Karl Darlow picked up an injury. Lampard’s predecessor Rafael Benitez – himself a former Liverpool man of course – brought ex-Red Lonergan to Goodison Park last summer but the Preston-born never actually played a game for Jurgen Klopp’s side during his spell with them in 2019/20.
Sander Westerveld, infamously sent off for Liverpool during the 1-0 defeat to Everton at Anfield in 1999, for fighting with Francis Jeffers who also got his marching orders, went on to join the Blues on a short-term basis in 2006 after a goalkeeping crisis left David Moyes without injured pair Nigel Martyn and Richard Wright plus the suspended Iain Turner. The Dutchman, who was never again picked by the Reds following a mistake against Bolton Wanderers in August 2001 – which prompted Gerard Houllier to sign both Jerzy Dudek and Chris Kirkland on the same day the following week – turned out for Everton in a 2-0 defeat at Newcastle United and a 2-2 draw at West Ham United.
Ben Foster would appear to be the prime candidate among out-of-contract goalkeepers currently available to Lampard. The 39-year-old has made 536 senior appearances in English football, including 390 in the Premier League as well as being capped eight times by England.
Without a club after his second spell at Watford came to an end, the 6ft 4in custodian from Leamington Spa hit the headlines back in February when he claimed Everton’s fans could be “horrible” to their club’s own players. Speaking on his podcast, Foster declared: “One thing I will say is, if you can get on top of Everton early doors, the Everton fans are horrible to Everton players. They get right on top of them. For sure they get into the players’ heads.
“All we said before the game is, ‘right lads, we need to start fast and get on top of them.’ We won the game 5-2 and we make a point of saying it, the Everton fans are horrible. If it looks like we’re overrunning them, they get on the Everton players like crazy.”
Meanwhile, Foster was involved in something of another Blues-related flashpoint only last month when a supposed 13-year-old Everton fan called talkSPORT, claiming he was his inspiration to become a goalkeeper and he’d prefer him to be in between the sticks for the Blues than Pickford “any day.” Foster would certainly provide a much more seasoned back-up for Begovic than the aforementioned Crellin and he might prove a solid option for an understudy role on a short-term basis but such outlandish claims do seem distinctly more fishy than the Cod Army where Crellin spent the formative years of his career.
Another experienced potential option for Lampard is Keiren Westwood, 37, who has made 504 senior appearances in English football although only 19 of those have been in the Premier League. A native of the North West born in Manchester, he was capped 21 times by the Republic of Ireland though and his most recent club was Queens Park Rangers for whom he played six games in the Championship last season.
Also without a current employer is Orjan Nyland, 31, who has represented Norway on 38 occasions. During his time at first club Hodd back in his homeland, he trained with Everton as an 18-year-old in December 2008.
Despite further links with a move to Goodison in 2015, he went on to have subsequent spells with Molde and Bundesliga side Ingolstadt before returning to these shores almost a decade after his trial with the Blues to join Aston Villa in 2018. The Midlanders were in the Championship at the time but despite playing 23 games for them in the second tier, he turned out on just seven further occasions in the Premier League and after brief spells with Norwich City and Bournemouth, he made 10 appearances for Reading last term.
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