Wycombe Wanderers: Poaching cult-hero from bitter rivals was a stroke of genius by Matt Bloomfield | OneFootball

Wycombe Wanderers signed Franco Ravizzoli from MK Dons in 2023 as their number 2. Since then, he's established himself as the undisputed first-choice.

When Franco Ravizzoli arrived at Adams Park in the summer of 2023, he'd made just a single EFL appearance in his whole career. That would quickly change, as the Argentine unexpectedly fended off the competition to secure his spot as first-choice goalkeeper at Wycombe Wanderers.

Ravizzoli was somewhat of a cult hero in North Buckinghamshire, following his only league appearance for MK Dons. The 27-year-old had to step up to the plate in the battle of the Dons, following the departure of Alex Fisher. Ravizzoli kept a clean sheet, as his side beat their fierce rivals 1-0. The Argentine collected all the plaudits from his manager, Liam Manning, who was impressed by his composure.

After being released by MK at the end of his contract, the shot-stopper made the short trip to South Buckinghamshire to play second-fiddle to Max Stryjek. However, the Wycombe Wanderers number one was a bit of a loose cannon that season, which eventually cost him the gloves. Since then, Ravizzoli has established himself as number one, fending off the competition with his impressive performances and excellent record.

Ravizzoli snatched his chances to dislodge Stryjek

Benji Walker (@benjiwalkerphoto)

The signing of Ravizzoli looked to be a smart move from Matt Bloomfield, as the inexperienced Laurie Shala and Stryjek were the only goalkeepers at the club. The ex-Don had plenty of experience in cup competitions, as well as plenty of pedigree under his belt from his time with River Plate.

Whilst Stryjek struggled, making costly errors and displaying a poor attitude, his colleague was seriously impressive in the EFL Trophy, not conceding a single goal in the group stage. This led to some Wycombe fans calling for Ravizzoli to be given a chance in the league. Despite this, Stryjek kept the gloves as the Chairboys inched towards a relegation battle.

Fortunately for Ravizzoli, his Polish counterpart would end up costing himself his spot as the starting goalkeeper. Just days after a heroic performance to help Wycombe reach the final of the EFL Trophy, Stryjek saw red when he wiped out Stevenage attacker, Jordan Roberts. This meant the Argentine had to come on for his Wycombe league debut. He managed to keep the score at just 1-0, but a three-game ban for Stryjek offered Ravizzoli to take the gloves, which he did.

Wanderers won two of their next three fixtures, where Ravizzoli impressed in both victories, particularly against Reading, where the keeper made several important saves. With an upturn in form coinciding with the 27-year-old's emergence into the first team, he retained the gloves for the rest of the season, eventually helping Wycombe to a 10th-place finish.

Whilst Stryjek was released from Wycombe in the summer, the Chairboys signed Nathan Bishop on loan from Sunderland, to provide competition for their new number one. Having signed a new contract and been given the all-important number-one shirt, it looked likely that Ravizzoli would be ahead of Bishop in the pecking order. However, this wouldn't be the case at the start of the season.

The Buckinghamshire outfit faced a baptism of fire in League One, which saw them face Wrexham and Birmingham City in their opening two games. Bishop featured in both, but was largely unimpressive, conceding six goals and looking uncomfortable with his distribution. To make things worse, the 24-year-old sustained an injury in the defeat to Birmingham, which required surgery. Once again, Ravizzoli was about to get another shot at the gloves.

The outcome was the same as the last time the Argentine was asked to step in. His introduction into the side saw Wycombe go unbeaten between the Birmingham fixture and December 29th, when it was ended by Charlton Athletic. This 19-game unbeaten run elevated the Chairboys to the top of the table, announcing themselves as unexpected promotion contenders.

In the first half of the season, Ravizzoli kept eight clean sheets in League One, which was the joint-fifth highest at that stage of the season. One defeat in 21 league appearances justified the man from Mar Del Plata's selection, along with plenty of memorable performances. Once again, Ravizzoli fended off the competition from both Bishop and Shamal George, which kept him as Wycombe's number one.

With Wycombe in the hunt for automatic promotion, Ravizzoli has the chance to become a Championship goalkeeper. Thanks to his excellent displays and composure on the ball, the former River Plate sweeper seems to fit Bloomfield's style of football perfectly.

After taking over from Gareth Ainsworth, the 40-year-old has worked hard to implement his possession-based football. One of the notable criticisms of Stryjek was his distribution and inability to play out from the back. Whilst Bishop was better with the ball at his feet, nobody has shown anywhere near the level of composure Ravizzoli offers.

Identifying this particular quality in the 27-year-old's game whilst in the hunt for a backup keeper last season was excellent by the recruitment team, and they are reaping the rewards of Ravizzoli's qualities. It will also be particularly sweet for Wycombe, given the Argentine's history with bitter county rivals, MK Dons. Picking up someone they let go and developing him into a top player in the division above will be very satisfying for the Blues deep down.

All in all, the signing of Ravizzoli is another example of Wycombe's excellent recruitment model working wonders. Whilst he has come under fire from some rather fickle supporters on social media, the stats and performances speak for themselves, and the Wanderers number-one has certainly established himself as the perfect keeper for Bloomfield's system.