AFC Wimbledon will want to avoid repeat of 2016 transfer disaster this summer: View | OneFootball

Back in the summer of 2016, AFC Wimbledon had secured promotion to League One and were looking to build a team that would help solidify their third-tier status for years to come.

So they began their business with the signing of experienced goalkeeper Ryan Clarke, who they viewed as a great addition to the squad with the EFL experience he brought.

However, his move to the Dons proved to be a nightmare, and now, with reports stating that they are looking at a similar type of transfer with an ambitious move for former Coventry City goalkeeper Simon Moore, they will want to make sure they avoid a repeat of the Clarke situation.

Ryan Clarke's disastrous Dons move

The former Oxford United keeper made the move to Wimbledon back in 2016, signing for the Dons on a free transfer and agreeing a one-year deal.

Clarke viewed the move as "a fantastic opportunity", adding: "To join a club of this stature with its history is an honour and a privilege."

He had been sought after by the club's management and coaching staff at the time, as in the article unveiling his signing, then-manager Neal Ardley revealed: "We looked long and hard at what we needed throughout the back end of last season and we wanted strength in the goalkeeping department.

"We wanted that presence, experience and somebody in their late 20s or early 30s, who had racked up a large number of games. Ryan fitted the bill."

However, in the seven league games that Clarke featured in following his signing, the aforementioned presence and experience were nowhere to be seen, with the keeper failing to keep his defence organised and making constant errors between the sticks.

His errors were perhaps most noticeable in the early season losses to both Bolton Wanderers and Walsall. In the game against Bolton, a simple shot from inside the box rolled underneath Clarke into the net, and against the Saddlers, the keeper failed to command his box properly to defend against two tap-ins, as well as not attempting any save whatsoever when faced with an Erhun Oztumer free-kick.

Fans quickly grew frustrated with Clarke and his litany of errors and, with growing anger, the mistakes and nerves became more apparent.

Only two months after signing for the club and having featured in only nine games across all competitions, Clarke and Wimbledon decided that a mutual cancelling of his contract was perhaps best for both parties.

In the article revealing his departure, Ardley spoke again, saying: "After lengthy conversations with Ryan about his failure to settle at the club, we have reluctantly agreed to let him move on. Ryan is a good guy and a family man who wanted to do really well for Wimbledon, but he felt for personal reasons that his future needed to be at another club."

Why Wimbledon and Johnnie Jackson should be cautious if targeting Simon Moore

As outlined, Clarke, aged 34 when signing for the Dons, was not the correct goalkeeper to entrust as being first choice between the sticks in what was a crucial season.

Given that 2024/25 is likely to be of similar magnitude, with the Dons very keen to escape League Two, there should be some caution about the reported targeting of Moore.

Similar to Clarke before his move to Wimbledon, Moore has not appeared too much in between the sticks in recent seasons. While he completed a full season at Coventry in 2021/22, making 42 appearances in all competitions, his last full season before that was back in 2016/17, for Sheffield United.

This would mean that if Wimbledon entrusted him with the responsibility of first choice, should he be signed, they would be risking playing a somewhat rusty player in between the sticks, and a player who has perhaps lost confidence in his ability due to not starting.

South London Press revealed that the Dons seem likely to make an audacious move for the former Coventry shot-stopper, but that no official move had been made yet.

The Dons would do well to secure the 34-year-old's services, but they need to ensure that they're also bringing in another keeper to compete for the number one spot and aren't putting all their eggs in one basket. Moves for goalkeepers late on in their career do not always pan out as planned, as Clarke's time in South West London proved.

It is clear that Wimbledon's goalkeeping department is going through a reshuffle this summer. Last season's first choice keeper Alex Bass is returning to parent club Sunderland, and second choice Nik Tzanev is departing the club after eight years, and it seems, thanks to reports, that a future number one will once again be a loan from a Premier League or Championship club.

Wimbledon fans should not be too concerned though, as with the recent record of good young goalkeepers arriving at the club on loan, such as George Long, Alex Bass and Aaron Ramsdale, the club seemingly have learned their lessons and will make the right choices once again this summer.