Alex Palmer

Palmer reads a strike early and positions his body behind shots that a less vigilant goalkeeper would only manage to deflect. That habit developed over years proving himself in lower league football, where mistakes get punished more severely because there is no expensive defence in front of him mopping up. That grounding shows whenever an opponent breaks clear of the last defender, because he rarely rushes the decision between staying big and diving early.

The question now is whether he can organise a senior back four with the same authority he demonstrates on shots aimed directly at him. Commanding a box against physical strikers requires a different presence than shot stopping alone provides. It took him a genuinely long time to finally secure that opportunity. Ipswich supporters want that side of his game to develop until it matches the shot stopping that got him here.