Ipswich Town: Everything you need to know about Alex Palmer

Palmer helped Lincoln City reach the League One play-off final (Image: PA)

Loan experience

Born in Kidderminster, Palmer started at West Brom’s academy in 2010. Like his brother, he began as an outfield player but had limited opportunities, which saw him become a goalkeeper.

He came into the first team for the first time in May 2015. He was an unused substitute in the Premier League as the Baggies were beaten 4-1 at Arsenal, giving him a taste of what life could be like in the top flight.

Experiencing both ends of the football pyramid was always going to be crucial, and he joined local club Kidderminster Harriers on loan the following month. He was part of their squad that was relegated from the National League, but he ended up returning in the National League North the following campaign.

Emergency loans at League Two sides Oldham Athletic and Notts County followed in 2018 and 2019 respectively, but a season-long stint at fellow fourth-tier outfit Plymouth Argyle is where he instantly made his name, keeping a clean sheet in a man-of-the-match performance away at Crewe Alexandra on his debut. The Pilgrims went on to secure automatic promotion, finishing third.

That gave him the platform to make the step-up to League One, joining Lincoln City for the 2020/21 campaign. He started all 46 games for the Imps as they reached the play-off final, but they were beaten by Blackpool at Wembley.

Having impressed in non-league and at the lower end of the EFL, he was finally ready for the Championship.

The 28-year-old was a crucial player for West Brom (Image: PA)

Breaking in with the Baggies

From the time he first joined the club, it took 11 years for Palmer to make his West Brom debut. Unfortunately, it was a game to forget, as his side were thrashed 6-0 by Arsenal in the second round of the Carabao Cup in August 2021.

It proved to be his only appearance for the Baggies that season, although he made his Championship debut in an emergency loan at Luton in March 2022 following injuries to Jed Steer and James Shea.

Upon his return, manager Steve Bruce was reluctant to drop first-choice goalkeeper David Button, who was in poor form at the start of the 2022/23 campaign. However, he eventually caved in, putting Palmer in for a 1-0 defeat at Preston North End in October 2022. His impressive performance saw him keep the No.1 shirt, playing 23 games as his side finished ninth.

Under Carlos Corberan, he was imperious. Palmer shared the Golden Glove with Leeds United shot-stopper Illan Meslier in 2023/24, keeping 18 clean sheets and conceding just 47 goals in 46 games as West Brom reached the play-offs, ultimately losing to Southampton in the semi-finals.

He’s been just as impressive this season, with 11 clean sheets and 27 goals conceded in just 30 games. Now, he’s ready to test himself in the Premier League.

Ex-Blue Tony Mowbray is now in charge of the Baggies (Image: PA)

The view from both sides

In the summer of 2022, newly-promoted Premier League side Luton Town agreed a fee to sign Palmer, with West Brom needing to raise funds as they waited for a takeover to be completed. He rejected the offer to move to Kenilworth Road, however.

Asked about his decision, he said: "Every player wants to play in the Premier League, but for me it just wasn't right. Being so long here and to achieve being number one now, it's something that was too soon to leave, I want to achieve promotion and get us back to the Premier League, that's my ultimate dream, to achieve that with West Brom.

"It's one of those ones, I've just got to make sure it's not the last opportunity I get, I've got to keep working hard and the ultimate aim is to play in the Premier League, ideally with West Bromwich Albion. It's nice to be recognised, but it's down to a lot of people behind the scenes, especially those I came up with."

So, why leave now? West Brom have had a tough few weeks since Corberan’s departure, with Tony Mowbray now in charge, but the Baggies are still on course for a top-six finish despite their 2-1 defeat at Plymouth on Saturday.

Kieran McKenna probably played a big part in the move, and Palmer will know that he’ll get regular minutes in the Premier League. With Christian Walton sidelined with a groin injury and Arijanet Muric struggling for form in a mistake-filled season so far, a safe pair of hands feels necessary.

As for West Brom, letting their first-choice goalkeeper leave for a fairly low transfer fee on deadline day certainly raises eyebrows, but Palmer’s contract was due to expire in the summer of 2026 and they didn’t want to lose him for free.

They have since recalled Josh Griffiths from his loan spell at League One side Bristol Rovers, so he’ll compete with Joe Wildsmith to be the new first-choice goalkeeper at the Hawthorns.

Palmer shared the Championship Golden Glove with Illan Meslier last season (Image: PA)

Strengths and weaknesses

While the signing of Muric clearly hasn’t worked out this season, he was brought in on the basis of being a goalkeeper who’s confident with the ball at his feet and able to play out from the back like Vaclav Hladky did last season.

On the flip side, Christian Walton is more of a traditional goalkeeper, although one who’s still confident with the ball at his feet. Stylistically, Palmer is certainly closer to Walton than Muric and Hladky.

Back in 2022, The Athletic said: “He is viewed as the first player in the build-up, frequently passing square to a centre-back from goal kicks involving himself in passing moves in the opening third, often looking for midfielder Okay Yokuslu as a reference point.”

There is a caveat. West Brom are an excellent defensive side with plenty of experience at the back. Corberan always had a defence-first approach, which offered Palmer plenty of protection in a division which obviously lacks the clinical star-quality of the Premier League.

This will be a test of how good his shot stopping really is. At this stage, the signs are positive.

Palmer has outperformed his underlying numbers, conceding fewer goals than he should have done based on the xGOT [expected goals on target] he’s faced this season. He boasts a save percentage of 74.3% – only beaten by Burnley’s James Trafford (88.6%), Sheffield United’s Michael Cooper (77.6%), Blackburn Rovers’ Aynsley Pears (77.1%) and Stoke City’s Viktor Johansson (75.8%).

Having a goalkeeper who can do a bit of everything is great, but Town need security in goal. Recent evidence suggests that Palmer ticks that box.

Palmer is set to step in for the injured Christian Walton (Image: PA)

The right personality

As a player, Palmer has received plenty of positive comments. Last season, Corberan said: “I think he deserves all the praise he’s getting. He’s playing with a lot of maturity without having the experience of the Championship.”

West Brom fans are clearly upset to have lost him. When it comes to Championship goalkeepers, he’s rated as one of the best. He also seems like a good person, which will help him fit in at Ipswich.

He’s incredibly proud of his pathway and his development. When his minutes were limited at West Brom, he was more than happy to drop down the leagues and go out on loan, speaking fondly about his different spells and how they helped him improve.

“I had to be patient and try to fight for my opportunity," he said earlier in his career. "It came about, and it’s exactly where I wanted to be. All those years of going out on loan and showing that you’re capable, good enough and taking those steps up the Football League.

“Now it’s me playing week in, week out for my parent club, for the club that I’ve been at for so long. It’s a real honour and a chance I’m trying to take with both hands.

“It’s been such a long journey to get to this point that I’m at now.”

He’s also appreciative of his journey and how lucky he’s been, having really felt it on his honeymoon in Kenya last summer.

“Playing football with the local kids was probably one of my highlights," he told West Brom's website. "You go to the local villages and it really does make you realise how lucky you are.

"What I would say though, is that one of the biggest things I took from that experience was how happy and how smiley everyone was.

“They were asking so many questions and they wanted to know so much.

“They were so enthusiastic and I had to be told to leave to head back because we were on a schedule.

“It was a really special experience and I’m so thankful they let us experience their culture.”

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