Sam Johnstone
Goalkeeper
We believe that Sam Johnstone is the most likely candidate to be named as England’s third choice goalkeeper. While we think England would manage just fine with him in between the sticks, we do not think he possesses the natural talent nor the resume required to move ahead of Pickford or Ramsdale. At 31 years of age, Johnstone has had a long professional career but has only recently broken into England’s top level of football. He began his career in the Football League One with the Doncaster Rovers before moving up and playing a season in the Championship with Preston. After just one season at Preston he received a dream transfer to Manchester United, but unfortunately only made 5 appearances across two seasons, none of which were in the Premier League. He then returned to play 5 seasons in the Championship with Aston Villa and West Ham, where he became a regular starter for both teams. He moved to Crystal Palace in 2022 and made his first appearance in the Premier League. So far, he has played 20 games for Palace during the 2023/24 season and been a consistent performer. Sam Johnstone has fought his way through the ranks of English football to earn his spot on this team, and we hope that Southgate agrees.
