League Two Chesterfield are on the hunt for a new goalkeeper following their promotion from the National League after loanee Harry Tyrer returned to Everton.

The Spireites have already made five signings but the search for a new shot-stopper has been an ongoing one.

Blackman to drop to League Two?

According to Liam Norcliffe of the Derbyshire Times, former Chelsea Academy keeper Jamal Blackman has been spotted training with Chesterfield, sparking speculation of a potential move to the Derbyshire club.

Blackman is currently a free agent following an injury-plagued spell with League One side Burton Albion. He has plenty of previous EFL experience through the likes of Sheffield United, Rotherham, Exeter and Wycombe.

Currently Chesterfield only have one senior goalkeeper in the form of Ryan Boot. He’s spent most of his recent career in the National League playing for Solihull Moors.

Based on that fact, it makes sense for Chesterfield to try and sign someone with more EFL experience to compete for the number one spot.

Does Blackman improve Chesterfield’s squad?

It’s worth noting that Blackman hasn’t dropped as low as League Two since the 2016/17 season when he was on loan at Wycombe.

This would suggest that he’s more than capable of being a top keeper at League Two level.

However, he’s had a lot of seasons with limited game time, including spells at Eredivisie side Vitesse and Major League Soccer (MLS) side Los Angeles FC.

With this being said Blackman was Exeter’s first choice keeper in League One for the 2022/23 season.

This suggests that if he can stay fit then the former England youth international should be a significant improvement on Boot.

There are some top-quality keepers in the fourth tier this season including Connor Ripley (Port Vale), Matt Macey (Colchester) and Alex Bass (Notts County). Blackman matches these names for experience and debatably pedigree as well. This combined with the previous signing of Chey Dunkley would  place Chesterfield’s defensive unit on a similar level to the top sides in the division.

Have Chesterfield done enough in the transfer window?

As previously stated, Chesterfield have made five signings this summer including Dunkley. The likes of Paddy Madden and Kane Drummond freshen up the front line whilst Lewis Gordon looks like a shrewd addition at full-back.

Midfield man Tim Akinola completes the quintet but is this really enough to make the step up to League Two?

When Wrexham and Notts County came up there was a lot of variation in terms of success.

Wrexham went from strength to strength but Notts County struggled after an initial surge of results at the start of the season. The Nottinghamshire side soon regretted not strengthening their defence and would eventually settle in 14th.

Chesterfield have made a couple of very impressive additions but there has to be concern over strength in depth. The defence looks a lot weaker on paper if you take Dunkley out of the side.

It’s a similar story in midfield. The one re-assuring thing is the depth and experience in forward areas, with the likes of Will Grigg, Michael Jacobs and Ryan Colclough already at the club.

To compete at the top end of this league, Chesterfield are going to need a couple more bodies. It’s safe to say Blackman would be a fantastic start.