Who Could Be The Next Posh #1?

Things didn’t seem quite right when Ben Alnwick was left out of the Peterborough United squad to face MK Dons on Saturday after Posh boss Grant McCann had declared him fit and available for the fixture. McCann had told the media that Alnwick was still feeling an injury which saw him withdraw from Tuesday nights EFL Cup match with Premier League side Swansea City just a matter of minutes before kick off.

But today’s announcement of Alnwick’s transfer listing seems to confirm that maybe it wasn’t a reoccurrence of the injury which kept him out of the team. So who could replace Ben Alnwick in the Posh goal should anything materialise before Wednesday’s transfer deadline.

The obvious choice would be Mark Tyler, the veteran goalie would be the easiest option for the club, especially as the deadline is just a matter of days away. Tyler would be a popular choice amongst Posh fans, having already earned legendary status at the club. This would see Dion Curtis-Henry again playing backup to the senior keeper in a season where he could really do with a loan move in order to be playing regular first team football, so this option has its positives and negatives.

Stuart Moore moved on loan to Posh from Reading last season to cover for Alnwick when he picked up an injury, but didn’t really play enough games for us to know whether he was really up to League One standard at this stage of his career. Posh’s manager at the time, Graham Westley, refused to rule out a return for the young keeper as the off field staff seemed impressed with the potential the keeper showed during his brief stint with the club. He isn’t currently getting into the Reading team Jaap Stam is showing a preference towards their experienced keeper Ali Al-Habsi. Stam has already let backup stopper Jonathon Bond go on loan to Gillingham, so he may be unwilling to part with another keeper at this moment in time.

Another option could be Nuneaton goalie Zeuz De La Paz. The 21 year old Dutch stopper had a trial at the Posh at the same time Callum Chettle and Aaron Williams earned contracts at the ABAX Stadium, but Posh decided against offering De La Paz a contract at the time. The former PSV youngster also isn’t actually playing for Nuneaton at the moment, so it’s unlikely that Posh will take a chance on a keeper who is virtually untested in English football at any level, especially in a season where Posh look more likely than ever to push for a return to the Championship.

Crewe Alexandra have a goalkeeper who is very highly rated. 22 year old Ben Garratt is already well on his way to 100 league appearances for Crewe, the club where he has been since 2010. Crewe were relegated from League One last season, so Garratt may be interested in a return to a higher level, at a club which is well known for developing players in order to further their careers.

Posh could also decide to go down the loan route. With the transfer deadline rapidly approaching there may not be enough time to bring in a new keeper on a permanent deal. Grant McCann has brought in stability to the team and doesn’t make unnecessary changes to his line ups, so he may want to have a permanent goalkeeper at the club as soon as possible, rather than running the risk of chopping and changing between goalkeepers who become available for loan.

So, will Ben Alnwick leave the club before the transfer deadline? And if he does, who will replace him? Latest Posh transfer news can be found right here on vital Posh, as and when it happens. But in the mean time, does anyone have Joe Hart’s number?