Walsall Football Club are delighted to announce the signing of goalkeeper Carl Rushworth on a season-long loan from Premier League side Brighton and Hove Albion.
Rushworth, who celebrated his 20th birthday earlier this month, becomes the second loan signing of the week after Kieran Phillips joined the Saddlers in a similar deal from Huddersfield Town.
The keeper is yet to taste first team football with the Seagulls but he was involved in all three of Brighton’s Under-23s outings in the Papa John’s Trophy, where he went up against Leyton Orient, AFC Wimbledon and Charlton Athletic.
The former Halifax Town man spent time out on loan in the Isthmian League Premier Division in 2019 with Worthing before the season was cut short in 2019.
Following his move to the Banks’s Stadium, Rushworth is now keen to kick on with his development and is really looking forward to being part of what Head Coach Matthew Taylor is looking to build at the club.
“I’m buzzing with the move,” said Rushworth.
“My agent was speaking to me and Brighton were speaking to me about how this move could potentially be on offer and ever since I heard that I was always wanting to come here.
“I’ve seen the stadium now and I’ve spoken to the Head Coach and I know what his plan is and how he wants to go about it with a lot of new players coming in as well and I am really looking forward to being a part of it.
“I like the fact that the Head Coach wants to play out from the back. That is one of my main attributes as a goalkeeper.
“I like to play the pretty football but I can also go long when I need to and I want to show that I’m not just lumping the ball up and playing the ugly side of the game all the time.”
Head Coach Taylor was keen to add another goalkeeper to the mix with only Rose at his disposal following the departure of Liam Roberts earlier in the window and he is now looking forward to helping Rushworth develop as a player and as a young man.
“Carl is somebody who came to our attention early on in the recruitment process for a goalkeeper,” said Taylor.
“He fits the ethos of the football club, the way that we want to play next season and he is going to provide good competition in that position.
“We knew that we needed to strengthen in that area and we are extremely happy that Carl has chosen to pick Walsall as his first loan as he begins his professional career in the mens game.
“It’s important not just for the goalkeepers to have competition but that we have competition all over the pitch.
“What we are striving to get at this football club are players that push each other on a daily basis, players that when they’re in the team are not comfortable because they have always got somebody behind them pushing them extremely hard.
“We’re delighted that Carl has decided to join us over other options that he had.”
The loan move is subject to FA and EFL clearance.