Under Lee Grant, Huddersfield Town are looking to build a squad capable of challenging for promotion from League One. The Terriers have added a seventh new signing to their squad ahead of the new campaign.
The Yorkshire side have completed the signing of goalkeeper Owen Goodman. The 21 year old joins up with Lee Grant’s side on a season long loan from Premier League side Crystal Palace.
Who is Owen Goodman?
Despite being born in Essex, Goodman began his career in Canada with South Simcoe United and County FC’s academy sides. In 2015 he moved to London and signed for Crystal Palace’s academy.
The 21 year old progressed through the youth teams at Selhurst Park but having been named in the Palace matchday squad a couple of times, he is yet to make his first team debut for the Eagles. Goodman’s first taste in senior football came in 2023 when he joined Colchester United.
The goalkeeper made 40 appearances for the Essex club and helped them survive relegation from League Two. Last season, Goodman was back in the fourth tier but achieved success with AFC Wimbledon after they won promotion to League One through the play-offs.
Having impressed while on loan with the Dons, the Palace youngster has made the move to Huddersfield Town ahead of the 2025-26 season.
What does Owen Goodman bring to Huddersfield Town?
The 21 year old managed to showcase his skills whilst on loan at AFC Wimbledon last season. Goodman kept the joint-most clean sheets in the division with 21 and conceded an average of 0.8 goals per 90 minutes which was the best figure across the division.
The Palace keeper showcased his shot-stopping ability during the League Two campaign as well. He had the third best save percentage figure in the league with 72%, making 90 saves in total across the season at an average of two per match.
Some of these statistics could have been helped by the strong defensive unit that Goodman had in front of him as Wimbledon had the best defensive record in the division. However, the 21 year old’s goals prevented figure suggests that he played a significant part in this.
Huddersfield Town’s new keeper ranked first for goals prevented with 4.15 in total. Goodman conceded 35 goals from an expected goals on target (xGOT) of 39.12 which suggests that he was able to keep out shots that had a high level of chance of resulting in a goal for the opposition.
When asked about what specifics skills he brings to Huddersfield Town, Goodman said:
“Keeping the ball out the back of the net, that’s the main thing”
“Whether that’s dealing with crosses, effecting through balls or making big saves”
It’s clear to see that Huddersfield have acquired a goalkeeper who knows how to keep the ball out of the net. Grant’s side will be hoping that Goodman can transfer this ability from League Two to League One.
Is Owen Goodman a good signing for Huddersfield Town?
When looking at Huddersfield Town’s 2024-25 campaign it is easy to see why they have brought Goodman into the club. Both Jacob Chapman and Lee Nicholls had spells in net for the Yorkshire side last season and had goals prevented statistics of -4.5 and -3.53 respectively.
With this in mind, Palace loanee should provide an improvement on this if he makes the step up to the third tier seamlessly. On top of this, working under the leadership of Lee Grant, who made over 400 senior appearances in goal during his playing career, will likely provide Goodman with the opportunity to improve and develop further as a goalkeeper.
One issue that could arise is dependent on the style of play implemented by Grant. If the Huddersfield manager is looking to play a possession heavy style of play, it may be something that Goodman will take time to get used to having acted as sweeper on average 0.33 times per 90 minutes during his spell at Wimbledon.
However, given his youth and capability to develop as a player under his new manager, this will likely be something that Goodman can add to his game once he is settled within the Huddersfield Town side. The Yorkshire side have signed the best keeper from League Two last season and will hope that he repeats that feat during the 2025-26 League One campaign.
