One Championship and three League One sides are in a race to seal a move for Fleetwood Town’s David Harrington, who kept eight clean sheets in just 20 appearances last season.

The 25-year-old is on the radar of Preston North End, Bolton Wanderers, Cardiff City and Wigan Athletic, with the quartet fighting it out for the impressive young stopper.

The Welsh and Irish dual-national has not yet had a full season of regular EFL football but looks likely to depart Pete Wild’s side, as reported by Football League World.

Inexperienced keeper wanted by four sides

Harrington began the 2024/25 campaign as Fleetwood’s number one but a shoulder injury in December ended his season, although that has not harmed his chance of a move up the leagues.

His 20 League Two appearances helped his side to finish 14th in the table following relegation from the third tier the previous year, which saw them drop out of League One after 10 consecutive seasons.

His debut for the Lancashire side only came in April 2024, 15 months after signing from Cork City, where he played 35 times in three seasons. Still, he impressed enough to be called up to the Republic of Ireland senior squad by interim boss John O’Shea in May of last year.

He was not selected in either game against Hungary or Portugal and subsequently received a call-up to Wales‘ senior team last November, although, again, he did not feature on the pitch. 

With the opportunity to be named in the Dragons’ World Cup squad next summer, should they qualify, a step up to League One or the Championship would be appealing to Harrington and he has plenty of options to consider.

North End are off the back of a 20th-place finish in the second tier last season but have recruited well so far in Paul Heckingbottom’s first summer in charge and would not require the keeper to relocate, neither would a move to Bolton or Wigan, who are also both hoping to improve in head coaches Steven Schumacher and Ryan Lowe’s first full seasons at the clubs.

Welsh side Cardiff have recently appointed former Manchester City academy boss Brian Barry-Murphy following their relegation from the Championship and will be looking to rebuild ahead of a promotion hunt.

How impressive was Harrington last season?

Despite the Corkonian’s campaign ending halfway through last year, he stood out in his 20 appearances as a talented young keeper who could develop further.

His eight clean sheets meant he had a 40% shutout rate, which was beaten by just two opponents in League Two, and he also had the eighth-best penalty save rate, keeping out one of the five he faced.

He also finished with a 68.1% save rate, ranking him 17th in the division by FBref.

Although he has not completed a full season in the EFL yet, his performances so far seem to suggest that he has the attributes to flourish across a whole campaign, as long as he does not suffer a recurrence of the shoulder injury that has ruled him out of action twice in his career already.

Which club needs him the most?

Although a move to Championship outfit Preston may appear to be the most glamorous move for Harrington, the Lilywhites have already signed a number one keeper this summer in the shape of Daniel Iversen, meaning that the former’s playing time would be limited.

Therefore, a move to one of the League One sides would seem to be more beneficial, with Cardiff and Wigan the most likely following Bolton’s acquisition of Chelsea’s Teddy Sharman-Lowe.

The Bluebirds currently have Jak Alnwick and American Ethan Horvath on their books, but an opportunity to be number one in the Welsh capital would not be completely out of the equation given Barry-Murphy’s likely desire to shape his own squad.

He also has a history of developing young players, so Harrington, still relatively youthful, would appear to be a likely answer to his question.

Lastly, Wigan may also require a new face in between the posts this summer with a departure for 23-year-old Sam Tickle a potential consequence of his strong season for the Latics and debut for England U21s.

Therefore, a move to either the Cardiff City Stadium or the Brick Community Stadium would be the most likely destination for Harrington.