To help the Saints avoid dropping into the Premier League this season, Southampton has been searching for a new goalkeeper, and they have a few options to select from.
Many stories connected Southampton to Aaron Ramsdale, the backup goalkeeper for Arsenal who would have been a respectable choice for the returning Premier League team and, at worst, a league average starting goalkeeper.
Ramsdale’s inflated wages and the fact that Southampton would have had to pay for him initially on loan made them reject him as a viable alternative.
Rather, Justin Bijlow, a starter for Feyenoord, will cost Southampton only eight million euros, according to Marcel van der Kraan of the Dutch newspaper Telegraaf.
Bijlow only stopped 65.9 percent of the shots he faced, but it was the third time in his career that he exceeded a 75 save %. The previous season, Feyenoord won the Eredivisie, and Bijlow stopped 75.3 percent of the shots that were sent at his goal.
At 26, Bijlow is at the height of his abilities. Based on save percentages, he has played for Feyenoord for the majority of his career, ranking among the best keepers in European football.
As a result, Transfermarkt values Bijlow at 13 million euros on the open market. This means that if Southampton pays merely 8 million euros for the Dutch goalkeeper, they are acquiring him for almost 40% less than what Bijlow is likely to fetch.
That is really beneficial to Southampton. For a fair price, they are acquiring a reliable goalie who will likely improve over the next five years. When you contrast that with having to pay 2.5 million pounds plus 80% of Ramsdale’s salary, you can see that Bijlow is a far better offer.
English players in the Premier League are overrated, whereas players like Bijlow who have established themselves outside of the top five leagues are frequently underappreciated.
To Southampton’s credit, they negotiated a good deal rather than chasing the bigger name in an attempt to make a huge impression. Especially when it comes to a goal, there’s no need to take the easy route. In addition, Bijlow is a great prospect to improve on his lackluster 2023–2024 campaign.
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