Freddie Woodman: On-loan Newcastle United goalkeeper eyes future at Swansea City
- Published
Top dog Woodman ready for Swans promotion push
Freddie Woodman spent lockdown in London, talking World War Two with his D-Day veteran great grandfather and letting his sister cut his hair because she runs a dog-grooming business.
Now back focusing on football, the on-loan Newcastle United goalkeeper is eyeing a return to the English capital for the Championship play-off final and a longer spell at Swansea City.
Woodman's loan will finish whenever this protracted Championship season ends.
The 23-year-old has a year left on his Newcastle contract, but hopes to remain a Swan in 2020-21.
"I think the club know and the fans know that I absolutely love it here," Woodman tells BBC Sport Wales.
"I would love to carry on next season. When you are enjoying your footy and enjoying where you live, it makes life so much easier.
"But in football it's not really up to the player's choice, it's about the clubs."
Swansea would be delighted should they find a way to keep Woodman, an ever present under Steve Cooper this season.
But given Swansea's financial issues even before coronavirus, a deal with Newcastle - if they are willing to do business - may be out of reach.
For now Woodman is concentrating on this season, and a return to Championship action at Middlesbrough on 20 June.
Swansea were packing their bags for Teesside when the season was halted in March, prompting Woodman to join his family in Croydon.
"At the beginning you think 'is it really a bad virus?'," he says.
"But I had a few relatives that caught the disease. My friend's uncle sadly passed away with it, which was tough, and one of my dad's friends passed away as well.
"It starts to scare you a little bit more. The only lucky thing is that everyone in my family is safe, but we're obviously still thinking about friends who have lost relatives and also the people throughout the country that have been affected by it."
Woodman went on lockdown supermarket trips for his grandparents and great grandparents, who live around the corner from his family home.
Freddie Woodman has played every minute of Swansea's Championship campaign having arrived on loan from Newcastle in August 2019
"We were lucky enough to celebrate VE Day with my great granddad as well," he adds.
"He's 97. He served in the Royal Navy - he did the D-Day landings. I rang him the other day when it was the 76th anniversary.
"We always celebrate VE Day, but obviously this year we had to celebrate at a distance."
Woodman is named after his great uncle, a soldier who was killed in action, and has a "massive interest" in the Second World War thanks to his family connections.
"I read about it all the time," he says.
"I thought it was a good opportunity over this lockdown to speak to my great granddad about his experiences, because those stories about World War Two are leaving us as people pass away.
"It's important to tell the future generations about how important World War Two was."
Some chats involved Woodman standing on the drive whilst his great grandfather, Leslie Bates, poked his head through a window.
Freddie Woodman won 66 youth caps for England at various levels
"He lives with my nan and granddad," Woodman explains, "so we also managed to get him on FaceTime, which I can imagine he couldn't get his head round at all.
"He is a huge Crystal Palace fan. He watches every Swans game on the TV."
Woodman used a gym in his parents' garage to keep fit during lockdown, while sister Isobelle - eventually - took over as his hairdresser.
"My dad started off doing it but it looked horrendous," Woodman says with a smile.
"My sister is a dog groomer and tidied it up. I don't know what dogs she is giving nice fades to, but she's done a good job on mine."
Woodman passed the time by baking Welsh cakes, while meditation has become part of his routine.
"You try different stuff," he says.
"Martyn Margetson, the (Swansea and England) goalkeeping coach, talked to me about visualising the game.
"I started doing meditation five minutes a day, then I went to 10 minutes. It's not for everyone, I understand that. But it's been a good little addition to my life."
Swansea goalkeeping coach Martyn Margetson (right) is on the England staff under Gareth Southgate (left), who is Freddie Woodman's godfather
There was a pleasant surprise for Woodman when he returned to Swansea last month.
"I was a little bit worried because I'd left my house and didn't think we'd be away that long," he says.
"But luckily enough my neighbour ended up coming in and cleaning my whole house. That sums up the Welsh people really."
Woodman says Swansea's training sessions are now back to normal, although what comes before and after remains unfamiliar.
"Normally I probably spend most of my day at the training ground - from 9am to 3pm," he says.
"But now it's a case of drive in, get tested, train, drive home."
Though the club restaurant is closed, Swansea's chef is producing takeaway meals for Cooper's squad.
And though players must do their laundry, the kitman has much work to do.
Freddie Woodman has quickly become a favourite among Swansea fans
"Mike (Eames) is still around the training ground in full protective gear," Woodman says.
"We work with 50 footballs, all the cones, the goals. Everything we touch, he has to go round spraying it. He has got one of the hardest jobs at the minute."
Woodman has discussed the prospect of football behind closed doors with Margetson, who was with England in 2018 when they played Croatia in an empty stadium because of Uefa sanctions.
"He said it might take some getting used to," Woodman says.
"It will be different, but there's so much up for grabs that I think you will see the usual competitive edge."
Woodman admits there were "a lot of worries" within Swansea's squad about coronavirus prior to the resumption of training, but says the club's safeguarding efforts have put players at ease.
As a result Cooper's men can think football, and about closing the three-point gap to the play-off places.
The target is Wembley, where Woodman's father Andy won a play-off final with Northampton - against Swansea, coincidentally - in 1997.
"He only mentions it every couple of days," Woodman says.
"Obviously it would be a great way to end the season, but there's a lot of hard work before we get there."