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Why Britain’s Most Expensive Goalkeeper Faces An Uncertain Future

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When Craig Gordon left Hearts to join Sunderland in 2007, he became the third most expensive goalkeeper ever, and the most expensive British goalkeeper of all time.  At £9million, only Angelo Peruzzi and Gianluigi Buffon had moved for more money.

Already established as Scotland’s number one goalkeeper, a big money move to the Premier League seemed to cement his status as one of the top young goalkeepers in Europe.  He made 34 appearances in his first season in English football, but since then his career has stalled due to a series of long-term injuries.

He was restricted to just 12 appearances during the 2008/09 season after suffering a knee injury.  After starting the 09/10 season as first choice, he broke his left arm in a collision with Jermain Defoe.  Gordon expressed his disappointment in Defoe, believing he hadn’t done enough to avoid the incident.  He returned to the team in January 2010, and played the rest of the season with a metal plate in his arm.

His run of bad luck continued last summer, when he again broke his left arm, just days after surgery to remove the plate.  He returned to the side in November, but by March was out of the team again, this time with a new knee injury.  He had surgery in April.

As the season begins, Gordon is still recovering from that surgery.  Meanwhile, his future at Sunderland appears unclear.  23 year old Belgian goalkeeper Simon Mignolet has started both Premier League games, and Keiron Westwood, signed from Coventry in the summer, started in the shock Carling Cup defeat to Brighton.  Both goalkeepers have been signed by Steve Bruce in the last 12 months, and it’s unclear whether or not he still considers Gordon his first choice.  He is also now Scotland’s second choice keeper, as Rangers Allan McGregor seems to have established himself as Craig Levein’s number one.

So as he attempts to return from his summer surgery, and enters the final year of his contract, his future is uncertain.  If Steve Bruce decides to go in another direction, Gordon’s options would appear to be limited.  He had been linked with a loan move to Celtic, but Newcastle’s Fraser Forster has just joined the Glasgow club on a season-long loan for a second successive season.  Rangers don’t need him and no other Scottish club could afford to sign him, even on loan.

In the Premier League, there seems to be few teams who would need a goalkeeping upgrade.  Swansea, Aston Villa, Spurs, Man United and West Brom all signed new goalkeepers this summer, while most other clubs have goalkeepers established as first choice.  Clubs such as QPR, Norwich, Wigan and perhaps even Newcastle could be potential destinations for Gordon, but his long list of injuries would be a concern for any chairman as it would still presumably take at least £5million to convince Sunderland to sell.

So at 28 years old, Craig Gordon faces an uncertain future.  At this point it seems more likely than not that he will be playing his football elsewhere next season, and it would not be a surprise if he was to move on loan elsewhere during the January transfer window.  An injury free loan spell at the business end of the season in the Premier League or Championship could restore his confidence and his reputation and lead to a free transfer to a new club in the summer, as well as giving Craig Levein a selection headache should Scotland manage to qualify for the European Championships.

For now, Gordon has to get himself fit and show Steve Bruce that he still has the ability and desire to be Sunderland’s number one.  If he can do that, he can still earn himself a new contract and even finish his career on Wearside.

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