Hull City have an array of talent at their disposal this season. But, five quality goalkeepers may become unsettled if their playing time isn’t fair.
Opting out of the outgoing loan market has seen the Tigers retain the services of Thimothee Lo-Tutala and Harvey Cartwright, at least until the January window. The former spent last season with Doncaster Rovers on a temporary basis; the latter made 32 appearances for Grimsby Town.
At 21, Lo-Tutala has already displayed a great shot-stopping ability, with seven clean sheets in 20 matches. An impressive save percentage of 74.1% ranked the former Tottenham Hotspur academy player in the 95th percentile of ‘keepers in the last League Two campaign.
Cartwright, who is currently nursing a hand injury, has been with Hull since July 2018, where he played in the under-18 squad. After an impressive spell with Grimsby and despite only one appearance for both Peterborough United and Wycombe Wanderers, the 22-year-old has earned enough plaudits to remain at the MKM Stadium.
Arguably as fifth choice, Cartwright will potentially drop down to feature in Hull’s youth set-up, as one of the over-aged exceptions. Lo-Tutala on the other hand will be vying to push the three other options for a starting spot. The 21-year-old has the capability to become a Championship ‘keeper in the future, but surely another developmental loan would’ve been the correct avenue to go down this year.
The number one jersey has been handed to Ivor Pandur. The 24-year-old Croatian has featured in all four league games already this campaign, keeping just one clean sheet in the process. Having played understudy to Ryan Allsopp after arriving in January, the Tigers’ shot-stopper will have to perform well, in order to fend off two new additions.
However, here is where the main concern lies. Carl Rushworth, who was mightily impressive for Swansea City last season, suits Tim Walter’s style to a tee. The Englishman’s ability to use his feet in build-up scenarios is exactly what the German boss demands from his goalkeepers and was exemplified in 46 league appearances last season. It is crucially a strong point in the 23-year-old’s game and Fabian Hürzeler will also demand a fair share of playing time for his Brighton and Hove Albion loanee.
A balance between Rushworth and Pandur would’ve been excellent as a two-keeper rotation. But with the two younger players trying to gain experience and prove a point, disappointment and frustration is inevitably going to become insurmountable for one or two. Furthermore, considering Anthony Racioppi has also been signed this season, the chances of retaining all of these assets in the future seem improbable.
With Rushworth yet to be integrated into the Tigers’ match-day squads, Racioppi looks to have solidifed himself as the designated cup goalkeeper. The former BSC Young Boys man was called up for Switzerland in the 2023/24 season. However, despite Pandur needing back-up choices to force him to perform, the Croatian has shown early signs of Championship capabilities. This means that Hull could easily ‘fall down a rabbit-hole’ if they get knocked out of both cups.
It isn’t all ‘doom and gloom’ though – far from it in fact. Despite this glaringly obvious question mark surrounding a fair split of playing time, Hull are in an equally glorious position with reliable, quality back-ups whenever they are called upon. Injuries start to take their toll on a club as the season progresses, so forward-thinking recruitment of a plethora of ‘keepers may prove to be a stroke of genius from Walter.
It will be likely that Pandur continues his exploits in goal until a dip in form appears. Rushworth is the more plausible as a second-choice, but Racioppi has enough experience in France and Switzerland to challenge this decision. Inevitably though, this will leave one of the three, as well as Lo-Tutala and Cartwright, frustrated on the sidelines.
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