Brighton set to break transfer record for Australian goalkeeper Mat Ryan
Brighton and Hove Albion look set to break their transfer record by tying up a £5.2m deal for Valencia goalkeeper Mat Ryan according to reports in Spain.
The Australian – who does spell his name with only one t – is his countries number one and represented the Socceroos at both the 2014 World Cup and the 2015 Asian Cup in which he was nominated as the best goalkeeper of the tournament as his side lifted the trophy.
Ryan started his career with the wonderfully named Central Coast Mariners, keeping 12 clean sheets in his first A-League season as an 18-year-old. In 2013 he moved to Belgian side Club Brugge where his performances attracted the interests of Liverpool who scouted him several times. He won goalkeeper of the year in the Jupiler League for two seasons running.
His next destination was obviously not Anfield but a move to the Mestala last summer, where he signed a six year deal with Valencia before finding himself being loaned out to Genk for the second half of the season. Ryan had stated his desire to return to Valencia and fight for the number one jersey but that looks to be out the window now should he agree personal terms with the Albion.
That sounds like a hell of a career but Ryan is still only 25 years old and with goalkeepers reaching their peak later than outfield players, this could prove to be an excellent acquisition both for the present and the future.
The transfer would eclipse the previous highest fee paid by the Albion which was £4m for Shane Duffy from Blackburn Rovers. It also almost certainly signals that David Stockdale’s attention seeking and far-from-cryptic tweets of the last few months are confirmation that he will not be signing a new contract with the club.
If the deal goes through, Ryan will join a long line of fine Australian players to represent the Albion which includes Paul Reid and, er, Chris Jones, a goalkeeper who never actually played a game. Let’s hope he fares better than his compatriot.
