West Brom set to sign ex-Derby County goalkeeper Joe Wildsmith | OneFootball

The Baggies are said to have fought off Barnsley for the former Sheffield Wednesday man

West Bromwich Albion are set to complete the signing of highly-rated goalkeeper Joe Wildsmith, according to Talksport’s Alex Crook.

The shot-stopper departed Derby County at the end of last month, as his contract with the Rams came to an end after two years with the club.

The 28-year-old won the League One Golden Glove for the previous campaign, as he kept 19 clean sheets in the third tier as Paul Warne’s side won promotion back to the Championship.

Barnsley were also said to have had an interest in their former loanee during this summer transfer window, but the Baggies look to have won the race for his signature.

West Bromwich Albion set to complete signing of former Derby County goalkeeper Joe Wildsmith

Wildsmith played a major part in earning County a return to the second tier in the previous campaign, with his imperious form between the sticks making the Rams a tough nut to crack across the campaign.

The glovesman excelled in every metric compared to his peers in the third tier, with a 47.5% clean sheet percentage showcasing how difficult a task it was to get the ball past him, while a 74.5% save percentage was the second-best in the division.

Having started off life as a professional footballer with Sheffield Wednesday, Wildsmith performed admirably in the brief spells he did get between the sticks at Hillsborough, as he made just 67 league appearances in the seven years between his debut and leaving the club in 2022.

Ultimately, it was the lack of game time that caused the ‘keeper to leave, and he has proven just what he can do when given time in the team since moving to Pride Park, with two astounding seasons in net for the Rams since joining 24 months ago.

With 36 clean sheets from his 86 league games for the club, Wildsmith has proven his quality whole in the third tier, and has rightly earned a move back to the Championship as a result.

Joe Wildsmith set to battle Alex Palmer for West Bromwich Albion goalkeeper spot

If the reported transfer does go ahead, Albion will have two Golden Glove winners at their disposal if things stay as they are, with the Baggies’ number one Alex Palmer receiving the same award in the Championship last season.

The 27-year-old kept 18 clean sheets - level with Illan Meslier of Leeds United - in the second tier as Carlos Corberan’s side made it to the Championship playoffs, only to lose out to eventual winners Southampton in the semi-finals.

The battle for the number one spot at the Hawthorns is sure to be hotting up over the next month if Wildsmith does seal the deal to move to the Midlands, although there could be a fear that Palmer [pictured] could be set to move on, with the former Derby County man his replacement.

Corberan has already acted to bring in two players to bolster his squad this summer, with Ousmane Diakite making the move to England from TSV Hartberg in the Austrian Bundesliga, while centre-back Torbjorn Heggem has joined from Brommapojkarna in Sweden.

One key player could be out the door before the season starts though, with Turkish powerhouse Okay Yokuslu reportedly facing strong interest from teams in his homeland this summer.