Hull City are signing Jack Butland after agreeing a deal with Rangers that sees the former England international move to the MKM Stadium on a permanent transfer.
Last season’s number one, Ivor Pandur, has gone the other way as both clubs swap goalkeepers, and some cash that will help City‘s quest to remain on the right side of Financial Fair Play (FFP) rules.
At 33, Butland has no shortage of experience with 450 games under his belt, and not far off a hundred of those coming during his time in the Potteries with Stoke City, so to get a flavour of what the Tigers can expect, we spoke to Pete Smith, who covers Stoke for the Sentinel and knows the goalkeeper well…
How good was Jack when he was at Stoke?
He was exceptional in his breakthrough season, 2014/15, after stepping in to take over the big gloves of Chelsea-bound Asmir Begovic. He had a showreel of brilliant saves and had a Peter Schmeichel-like knack of making himself massive in one-on-ones. At that stage, you would have got short odds on him becoming the next serious England number one, and Stoke were expecting that he would attract bigger offers than they had ever received for any other player, ever.
It is fair to say his career changed one night in Berlin on international duty when he suffered an ankle injury that proved complicated. By the time he finally got fit a year later, Stoke were on their way down.
He was still Player of the Year in 2018/19, the first year after relegation, but you could see it hit hard when he was still playing in the Championship for a second season and slipped out of the England picture. He had some challenging days and was in need of a fresh start by the time he left in 2020.
He was well respected, wasn’t he? What’s he like in the dressing room? Harnessing the spirit of last season will be key, and adding to that is so important.
Jack will embrace the role of a senior player, and he’ll try to set and maintain standards. He’s a big character, and he was never afraid to back himself or speak his mind. So you would probably get a different reference if you spoke about him to Mark Hughes, who saw him at his best, than to Nathan Jones. Dean Holden will have been able to call on old friends here for a lowdown on what he was really like behind closed doors.
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He came in for some criticism last season at Rangers. Do you think he still has the capacity to be a top goalkeeper and perform at Premier League level?
Well, Rangers hasn’t exactly been a smooth ride for anyone in the last couple of years. He has perhaps fluctuated hot and cold with form more than he would like, and he will have needed thick skin at times at Ibrox.
I’ve seen him save a few penalties up there, which is a skill we never thought – and he joked – he would add to his armoury when he was at Stoke! He did pull off a blinding penalty save against Eden Hazard once, but his record wasn’t great otherwise, so he’s done well to change that.
He’s 33, which isn’t veteran status for a goalkeeper, but he has a load of experience under his belt. It’ll be interesting seeing him thrown back into an unforgiving Premier League.
As a stopper, what can City fans expect of him?
He’ll be loud, and he’s a big lad with a presence about him. I’m sure he can pull off an eye-catching save, and you won’t want him messing about with the ball at his feet.
How do you rate the business from the Tigers?
First off, Stoke fans will be relieved that any club even tentatively linked with Viktor Johansson goes for a different keeper. Then, from our own experience, we know how important a sensible old head like Thomas Sorensen was when Stoke first got promoted back in 2008. If Butland can show that kind of consistency and authority, which he could, then he’ll be worth his weight in gold. Good luck to him. And if you draw Stoke in a cup, he’ll get a good reception back here.
Any other business?
He takes his responsibilities seriously. He certainly did that here, following the death of the great Gordon Banks. He carried himself superbly for what was pretty much a state funeral in Stoke-on-Trent. Butland was a pallbearer and then pulled on a Banks-style retro jersey for the following match. I’m not sure if he still has Banksy written on his gloves, but they were genuinely good friends.
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