Former Norwich City goalkeeper John Ruddy publicly expressed his interest in joining Aston Villa? Does the claret and blue club reciprocate this feeling?
John Ruddy, 30, wishes to join Aston Villa this summer as the club searches frantically for a new goalkeeper(s).
Ruddy spent the the last seven seasons manning the posts at Carrow Road. During his time, the former England international appeared 238 times in all competitions for the Canaries. He spent two seasons as a full-time Championship starter and three times as a Premier League starter. The other two were mired in injury and ineffectiveness.
As mentioned above, Ruddy has a cap with England back in 2012. In that year, Ruddy made Roy Hodgson’s England squad for the 2012 European Championship. However, he had to withdraw from the squad after breaking his finger in training before the tournament.
Ruddy was replaced by a young Jack Butland.
Ruddy made 27 starts in the Championship for Norwich this season – often losing his place to Declan Rudd. WhoScored mentions he struggled with distribution – evidenced by a 50.9% pass success rate.
Standing at 6’4″, the former Norwich ‘keeper is a big, commanding force in the box. He’s a solid shot-stopper that mixes average athleticism with good reflexes.
In all, Ruddy seems very similar to ex-Aston Villa incumbent ‘keeper, Brad Guzan. Both were tall, both were solid-average shot-stoppers, and both struggled with distribution and decision making.
It’s unknown if Aston Villa have any interest in the player. Presumably, Dr. Tony Xia and company will fight until Sam Johnstone makes a final decision.
Next: Possible alternatives to Sam Johnstone
John Ruddy is available on a free transfer following the expiry of his contract at Norwich City. Is a Ruddy/Steer tandem enough for Aston Villa to fight a promotion battle?
Let us know!