Barnsley and Shrewsbury Town chasing after the experienced goalkeeper whose contracts ends this year
Barnsley, Shrewsbury Town and Bradford City are among the sides interested in free agent Nathan Shepperd this summer, as per Pete O’Rourke.
Barnsley are gearing up for another year in League One after losing in the third tier’s play-off semi final last season.
Every club is trying to get a head start in transfer business this summer and one man drumming up plenty of attention is Shepperd.
The 23-year-old goalkeeper is set to become a free agent later this month leaving Wycombe Wanderers just a few months after joining.
He didn’t make an appearance for Wycombe Wanderers after joining from Dundalk where he made 79 senior appearances, keeping 28 clean sheets across all competitions.
O’Rourke is now reporting that Shepperd is wanted by a host of Football League clubs. Barnsley, Shrewsbury Town and Bradford City are joined by Burton Albion, AFC Wimbledon and Northampton Town in the race to sign the young shot stopper.
The youngster came through the ranks at Swansea City but didn’t make a senior outing for the Welsh club before eventually making the permanent switch to Ireland.
He moved to the Chairboys earlier this year but didn’t make a mark on their campaign and is once again set to be on the move this summer.
He is yet to prove himself in senior football in England, but he showed his class whilst in Ireland and he is evidently a more than capable goalkeeper for the third and fourth tier.
At 23 he will want consistent game time and that will likely be a big factor in deciding where his future lies. Barnsley are the biggest of the clubs mentioned and they will be hoping to push for promotion into the Championship next season, but a move to League Two or lower down in League One may be best for Shepperd’s individual development.
Shepperd could do with settling down somewhere after the brief spell at Wycombe Wanderers. It would allow him to show the best version of himself on the pitch and once again it highlights the importance of him making the right move this summer.
It remains to be seen where he may end up and it looks as if this saga is still in the early stages. But, the earlier a club make their move the more chance they have of beating the others that are eyeing up the 23-year-old.
The former Welsh youth international holds all the cards as things stand and this one is one to keep an eye on as the season draws closer.
