Championship side Norwich City are expected to finalise a deal for former Crystal Palace goalkeeper Louie Moulden as new head coach Liam Manning continues to build his new squad.
The Canaries have already made four signings since the ex-Bristol City boss took over and Moulden is set to become the third goalkeeper to join this summer.
The 23-year-old spent the 2024/25 campaign playing in the Premier League 2 for Palace’s U21 side, but following his release from Selhurst Park, he is now headed to Norfolk, as reported by Pink Un.
Canaries make move for another keeper
Once the Moulden deal is completed, as is expected, he will follow fellow shot-stoppers Daniel Grimshaw and Rylee Mitchell in agreeing terms with Manning’s new side.
Former Plymouth Argyle man Grimshaw made the move to Carrow Road after featuring 21 times in the second tier for the relegated Pilgrims, whilst Mitchell’s arrival from League One Stevenage sees him initially join up with the U21 squad.
Moulden is understood to have been brought in as third-choice behind Grimshaw and George Long, who played nine times in the Championship last season, having most recently played first-team football on loan at Northampton Town in the 2023/24 campaign.
The former Liverpool and Manchester City youngster signed for Wolverhampton Wanderers in 2021 and had four loan spells in non-league and the EFL before moving to Palace last summer.
He made 21 appearances for the Eagles’ reserve side, including a 3-1 win against League Two outfit Gillingham in the EFL Trophy.
The Boltonian has previously worked with Norwich’s head of goalkeeping Tony Roberts at Wolves and will be reunited with him once the deal is completed.
How does he compare to the Canaries’ other keepers?
Moulden’s most successful loan move was to National League side Rochdale, who he played 28 times for in the first half of the 2023/24 season before joining Northampton.
He kept six clean sheets in his short spell and played every single minute of each match but, once at the Cobblers, he came under more pressure and claimed just two shut-outs in his 11 starts in the third tier (a rate of 18.2%).
During this time, he had a 64.8% save percentage, which was higher than just 12 of the 53 goalkeepers to have made one or more appearances in the division that season, according to FBref.
For a fairer comparison, Grimshaw played 45 League One games in 2023/24 for Blackpool and conceded just 47 goals with a save percentage of 70.7% and 18 clean sheets (40%).
In Long’s last season of regular third-tier football, he kept 11 clean sheets in 45 matches with a 73.5% save rate for an AFC Wimbledon side that finished 18th in 2017/18.
Despite both being slightly older at the time, Grimshaw and Long’s stats were much more impressive at the same level as Moulden’s most recent first-team spell.
However, he would be an improvement on last season’s third-choice Daniel Barden, who could be set for a loan move to a League Two side.
In a 12-game spell at Swindon Town last season, he conceded 16 goals and kept just one clean sheet (8.3%), whilst also having a lower save percentage (60%) than Moulden’s time at Northampton.
As a result, the latter appears to be a more reliable backup option that could be counted on for a short time if needed.
Who else might be on their way to Carrow Road?
Manning has already signed defender Harry Darling, who he managed at MK Dons, and midfielder Jacob Wright, who was on loan last season, on permanent deals but will still be on the lookout for improvements to his squad.
The club have been linked with Wigan Athletic defender K’Marni Miller and former Nottingham Forest man Harry Toffolo and Manning will almost certainly bring in another of his former players.
After their 13th-placed finish and the departure of head coach Johannes Hoff Thorup, they will be targeting the play-offs and, with Manning just taking Bristol City to the top six, their expectations are realistic given the quality in their squad.