Fraser Forster

At 36 years old, Fraser Forster has this physical status:

Fraser Gerard Forster (born 17 March 1988) is an English professional footballer who plays for Scottish Premiership club Celtic on loan from Premier League club Southampton and the English national team. Forster began his work with Newcastle United and had brief loan stints with Stockport County and Bristol Rovers.

He then spent a fruitful season on loan at Norwich City, helping the club win the League One championship and promotion to the Championship.

Forster then joined Celtic on loan for the 2010–11 season and helped the team win the Scottish Cup.

He spent a second season on loan in Scotland, winning the Scottish Premier League before becoming a permanent squad member in 2012 for a £2.2 million transfer fee.

Forster has received many accolades for his work at Celtic, as well as the Scottish top division record of 1,256 minutes without conceding a single point.

He joined Southampton for a reported £10 million in August 2014.

Forster had a good debut in the Premier League, but he suffered a serious knee injury in March 2015, effectively ending his season.

On his return to action in January 2016, he quickly recovered and went on to set a new club record of 708 minutes without conceding a single goal.

Southampton's return helped the team advance from thirteenth in the league to a sixth-place finish, gaining them qualifying for the following season's UEFA Europa League. During 2012 and 2013, Forster was drafted for numerous England squads before making his first international appearance in November 2013.

He was selected in England's squads for the 2014 World Cup and Euro 2016.

Early life

Forster was born in Hexham, Northumberland, and the son of Brian Clive Forster QC (who later became a circuit judge) but did not begin playing as a goalkeeper until he was 13 years old. He had mainly played rugby union or cricket before then. Initially, the coach believed Forster would be too small to play as a goalkeeper, but he spent for local junior team Stocksfield before joining the renowned Wallsend Boys Club. However, he saw a big rise during his 15 years of age and then signed with Newcastle United.

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Club career

Forster began working with Newcastle United in 2005, signing for the academy in 2005. Tim Krul was on loan at Falkirk and played in the reserves for Newcastle's third choice goalkeeper in the 2007–08 season, and Forster was Newcastle's third choice goalkeeper. Fraser, however, never made a first-team appearance for Newcastle in the six years he was signed to the club, mainly because he spent the majority of his time on loan to other clubs, often for whole seasons.

With Krul back for the 2008–09 season and the return to full fitness, Forster's time was on loan. On October 2nd, 2008, he was loaned out to Stockport County to deputise regular goalkeeper Owain Fôn Williams while he was away on international service with Wales. On October 7, Forster played in their first match for Stockport in the Football League Trophy second round, where they lost 1–0 away to Bury. He appeared in his first league match for Stockport on October 11th, where his team lost 1–1 to Southend United. After finishing his loan stint with Stockport and keeping three clean sheets, he returned to Newcastle on November 1st.

Forster, who had been on the bench for Newcastle on more than 20 times in the Premier League, needed regular playing experience and, with Bristol Rovers, a month-loan contract was signed on July 31. In the four league games he played for, he had two clean sheets. Bristol Rovers wanted to prolong the loan, but Norwich City refused to extend the loan after Newcastle accepted it. Paul Trollope, the team's manager, was dissatisfied, and he argued that the team needed Forster between the sticks. "Fraser has a bright future ahead of him," the writer said.

Norwich City manager Paul Lambert was keen to sign Forster, who had seen play for both Stockport and Bristol Rovers. Forster then signed for Norwich City in a one-month loan agreement. After winning by 2–0 at Victoria Park in January 2010, it was postponed until January 2010. On September 26, 2009, Forster received a red card for bringing Curtis Weston down in the penalty area, but this was deemed to be a contentious call. He made a blunder in a 2–1 loss to Leeds United on October 19th, with a 90th-minute goal kick going straight to Jermaine Beckford, who scored.

Norwich announced on November 20th, 2009, that they had agreed to a deal with Newcastle that will extend Forster's loan until the end of the 2009–10 season, assisting the team in its rise to the League One table. He was also allowed to play in Norwich City's cup matches. Paul Lambert, the Norwich manager, lauded "world-class" saves and a positive contribution to the team.

Forster was named Player of the Month in November 2009. Norwich defeated Charlton Athletic 11-0 on April 17, 2010, with Forster putting up good saves to deny Nicky Bailey and Deon Burton. Norwich beat Gillingham 2–0, securing the League One title for the first time one week later. Forster was named the club's Player of the Year 2010 and second in the Supporters' Player of the Year Award for his contribution to Norwich's success. Norwich's outstanding season was rounded off by the award of the Macron Golden Gloves Award for the best track of clean sheets in the league, with 18 clean sheets in 38 league appearances and 20 clean sheets in 42 appearances in all competitions.

Forster joined Celtic on August 24, 2010 after being on a season-long loan from Newcastle. "He's a big boy, he's been highly recommended," Celtic boss Neil Lennon said of Forster, "his age is the only thing going against him because otherwise he has all the attributes you want." Celtic made his Celtic debut on August 29, 2010 at Motherwell's Motherwell, where he kept a clean sheet as Celtic defeated 1–0. With the exception of two cup matches, he continued to play in every match of Celtic's season.

Forster had a fruitful season with Celtic, winning a runner-up medal in the League Cup and Scottish Premier League. Forster and fellow goalkeeper ukasz Zauz Zauska had 23 clean sheets in the league, the highest number in the league since 2001-02 season, breaking Celtic's previous clean sheet record from 2001-2002. Forster used 21 of the clean sheets. Celtic beat Motherwell 3–0, winning the Scottish Cup for the first time in his career. He had 24 clean sheets in 44 matches for Celtic in total.

Forster returned to Celtic on loan for the remainder of the season after being named among the replacements for Newcastle's pre-season against Darlington, Orlando City, Leeds United, and Fiorentina. He helped Celtic draw 0–0 against FC Sion at home but then lost 3–1 in the away leg, only for UEFA to return Celtic to the Europa League with 3–0 victories in both legs after Sion was found to have fielded ineligible players. In all five group matches he participated in, he conceded goals.

Forster had a fruitful 2011–12 season with Celtic, winning the Scottish Premier League and assisting his side in beating the previous season's record of 23 clean sheets. Forster kept 21 clean sheets for both him and Zauska, with Forster racking up 21 of them. In December 2011, Hearts were given a tumultuous penalty in the final minute of a league match at Parkhead, with Celtic leading 1–0. Forster, on the other hand, made a crucial point for Celtic with an outstanding save from Eggert Jonsson's penalty kick. He had 26 clean sheets from 47 matches this season, total.

Forster had signed for Celtic on a long-term contract with a fee similar to Newcastle United's £2 million. "I'm really glad that I'm going to be at Celtic for the next four years at least," Forster said, "The manager's faith in me means a lot, and he's done so much for my confidence." Forster was described as a "top class keeper" by manager Neil Lennon, who thought him to be a key addition to the squad.

Forster resolutely against Barcelona in the UEFA Champions League group stages on November 7, 2012, assisting Celtic in winning by a landmark 2–1 victory in the week of the club's 125th anniversary. Forster "La Gran Muralla" ("The Great Wall") in Spain referred to his talent due to the quality of his appearance. Forster's domestic matches also impressed. Motherwell received a soft penalty against Celtic in January 2013. Referee Steven McLean permitted Tom Hateley to take the penalty kick from outside the penalty box, which was bizarre. Forster had been chastised for his protests against McLean, but the goalkeeper continued to make a spectacular one-handed save to his right. Forster was tipped off a big Gary Harkins dipping shot at full throttle in a league match against Dundee the following month. In May 2013, this save was named the SPL Save of the Season. Forster won their second league title with Celtic this season and ended a league and cup double on May 26th, 2013 over Hibernian in the Scottish Cup Final.

Celtic also registered for the UEFA Champions League for the 2013-14 season, beating Barcelona 11-0 on October 1, 2013 in Parkhead. Despite the loss, Forster continued to make good saves, most notably a superb double save near the end of the game. During a 2–1 victory over Ajax at Parkhead on October 22, 2013, Forster made a crucial save, saving Thulani Serero from being clean through on goal.

Forster's stellar results for Celtic in the Champions League and his involvement with the England international team culminated in media reports in October and November 2013 that several clubs, including Manchester United and Manchester City, were considering a bid for the goalkeeper. "It's going to be impossible to keep Fraser, the way he's playing," Celtic manager Neil Lennon said, "I think a major club will come in and make a big bid for him."

Forster set a new club record of 11 clean sheets in a row on February 2, 2014, trouncing Charlie Shaw's record of ten clean sheets in a row. Forster's success was recognized internationally, with the Spanish daily sports newspaper Marca naming him with the "El scar" award for someone in football who has made a major contribution to their team in some way. Forster defeated Bobby Clark's Scottish League record of 1,155 minutes without conceding a single point in a league match on February 22, 2014. Celtic defeated Hearts 2–0, while Forster collected his 13th clean sheet in the league, which was his 13th straight clean sheet appearance. Forster's clean sheet run came to an end on 1,256 minutes against Aberdeen on February 25, 2014, with Jonny Hayes beating him from 30 yards to open the scoring in a 2–1 win for the Dons. Celtic won their third straight Scottish League title, and they were named in the PFA Scotland Team of the Year alongside teammates Virgil van Dijk and Kris Commons.

Forster played in Celtic's first four matches in the Champions League, amid rumors surrounding him with a transfer to Southampton. Celtic lost 4–1 at Legia Warsaw, with Forster saving a penalty kick from Ivica Vrdoljak. Celtic later pulled the tie on away goals after being awarded a 3–0 victory in the second leg at home due to Legia's use of an ineligible player in the match.

Celtic and Southampton agreed a reported fee of around £10 million for Forster's transfer to the Premier League club on August 8, 2014. Southampton announced the transfer the next day after Forster agreed to a four-year deal with the club.

He made his Premier League debut on August 17th in Southampton's first game of the season, a 2–1 loss at Liverpool. In a goalless draw against West Bromwich Albion at home a week later, Forster maintained his first clean sheet for the club. Forster had kept four clean sheets and conceded only five goals by mid-October, their highest defensive record in the Premier League at that time.

In a 1–1 draw in November, Forster was to blame for Aston Villa's goal, but he was out of his penalty box in an attempt to block a long clearance but then missing the ball and giving Gabriel Agbonlahor a point. However, manager Ronald Koeman defended him, saying, "He [Forster] is a superb goalkeeper, and that doesn't change after this mistake." Sheffield United's only goal came in a surprise 1–0 win over Sheffield United despite another mistake made a month earlier in the League Cup. However, those two mistakes were exceptions, because Forster's form generally was still outstanding. Southampton defeated Queens Park Rangers 1–0, bringing them to third place in the League by 7 February 2015. Fraser earned recognition once more this week, this time for making a quick save to tip a Charlie Austin downward header over the crossbar. The match was his 11th clean sheet in the Premier League, the highest record among top-flight goalkeepers over the course of the season.

Forster sustained a serious knee injury after clearing a back pass and being led off the field by medics and replaced by Kelvin Davis on March 21, 2015. Forster's injury was "looking bad," Koeman said, and that the doctors were "not positive." He had been an ever-present for Southampton throughout the season and had the most clean sheets in the League as a result. Southampton announced Forster's injury to be a fractured kneecap, and that he would be out for the remainder of the season.

Although Forster had planned to be out for up to a year, the team's light training began in November 2015. Forster completed the full 90 minutes of an Under-21 Premier League Cup match against Chelsea on January 6, 2016, keeping a clean sheet. In Southampton's 2–0 victory over Watford, he made his Premier League debut on January 13th, playing full 90 minutes and keeping a clean sheet. Forster continued to have clean sheets in his next two appearances, but he had little to do in any of his three matches since recovering from injury.

Forster's result in his fourth match on February 2nd, 2016 was highly praised, and many applauded it. The Gunners dominated the game, shooting 11 shots on target as opposed to Southampton's three. In what The Daily Telegraph described as a "fully inspired goalkeeper effort," Forster pulled off a string of saves. In the first half, he saved his first shot at goal with an outstretched leg and then parrying his second shot, a volley from close range, away to safety. Alexis Sánchez's shot in the second half was saved so spectacularly that Arsenal's Olivier Giroud was able to turn toward Forster and applaud the save. Southampton's victory over Theo Walcott near the end of the game helped the team claim a hard-fought 0–0 draw. Koeman lauded his goalkeeper, hailing his work as "magic" and describing him as "one of the top goalkeepers in the Premier League and perhaps Europe" after the match. "He had a fantastic game," Arsenal boss Arsène Wenger said of Forster's performance, adding, "He had a fantastic game."

Forster beat Swansea City 1–0 on February 13th in their sixth straight clean sheet, a run that has helped Southampton climb from 13th to 6th place in the Premier League since returning from injury. His clean sheet streak lasted 708 minutes before being defeated by Cesc Fábregas in a 1–2 home loss to Chelsea on February 27. Forster's form after his return from injury, as well as a string of clean sheets, saw him win the Premier League Player of the Month award for February. He started a new one on May 13th, a new one until 2021. Southampton defeated Crystal Palace 4–1 on May 15 in their last league match of the season, finishing in sixth position on 63 points and their highest ever points total tally in the Premier League.

Although Forster's first choice goalkeeper since his arrival at Southampton in the summer of 2016, it was only after Kelvin Davis' retirement in the summer of 2016 that the club's "number 1" shirt was handed to him. Southampton's season got off to a rocky start under new manager Claude Puel, losing just one point in their first three league matches, but Forster went on a string of six consecutive clean sheets from mid-September to June. Southampton gained a position in the league thanks to a string of clean sheets. However, both Forster and his crew suffered with a lack of energy as a result. In a 3–0 win over Southampton, Christian Benteke had a great opportunity to open scoring after a miss-kick by goalkeeper against Crystal Palace on December 3rd. Southampton suffered an embarrassing loss on December 29th to Tottenham Hotspur, losing 4–1 in a match where ESPN described Forster's reception as "nothing less than appalling" and kept him suspended for at least two of the goals conceded. Forster's poor form into January 2017 continued, where it was revealed that his save/shot ratio was among the lowest among Premier League goalkeepers for the season to date.

Southampton became the first team in history to advance to the League Cup final without losing a single point. In the final, Southampton defeated Manchester United 3–2 on February 26, 2017. Forster played a good game against Liverpool at Anfield on Saturday, saving James Milner's 65th-minute penalty kick and then pushing Marko Grujic's header over the crossbar in injury time.

Despite an uneventful year, Forster did finish the season with 14 clean sheets, but his team finished eighth in the league and failed to qualify for European football in the following season.

Forster agreed a new five-year deal on July 19th, describing Southampton as "a fantastic club to be at." Southampton's indifferent form, however, continued into the new season, with flops against Manchester United, Newcastle, and Brighton that culminated in Southampton losing points in the first month of the season. Despite these mistakes, manager Mauricio Pellegrino defended Forster, saying that "the goalkeeper's position is always exposed in this situation," but no one recalls the good times." In December 2017, Forster was officially dropped from the team and replaced in goal by Alex McCarthy.

Forster was knocked further down the pecking order at Southampton by July 2018, with the club's Angus Gunn as back-up for Alex McCarthy. On May 4th, Forster made his first appearance of the season, making his first appearance for the club since December 2017.

Celtic's former club Forster had agreed to a season-long loan from Southampton on August 22, 2019. Forster's deal with Southampton was three years old, but he hadn't played for the club since December 2017. Later that evening, the loan transfer was confirmed.

Forster was drafted straight into the Celtic team, winning by 3–1 over Hearts on August 25, 2019. He had little to do until Hearts were rewarded a penalty in the second half. Forster saved Conor Washington's penalty kick, but the Hearts' player scored from the rebound. Forster saved a last-minute save from a Danilo Cataldi volley in a Europa League group stage match against S.S. Lazio on October 24, 2019, then the Italian newspaper La Gazzetta dello Sport called it the "miracle of extended time."

Forster faced Rangers in the League Cup Final at Hampden Park on December 8, 2019. Forster was called into action on several occasions during the match, with Rangers controlling the majority of the play. Ryan Jack fired a strong 22-yard shot toward the top right of Celtic's goal on 14 minutes, but Forster saved it at full throttle with his left palm. During the first half, he made several other saves to maintain Celtic level. A low ball was played by Rangers across the Celtic goal into the second half, but Forster had a foot on it to clear. On 64 minutes, Rangers' Alfredo Morelos received a penalty, but Forster dived low to block it with his arms. Celtic defeated 11-0, and Forster was named Player of the Match. "I've not seen a goalkeeper like Fraser or a goalkeeper like him for a long time," Fraser's boss Neil Lennon said. He did some amazing things in his first stint here, and now he's doing it again in his second," he said, noting that many of his saves were "world class."

Celtic were 13 points clear in the league and on the verge of winning their ninth straight title by March 2020. However, all professional football in Scotland was suspended later this month due to the COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom. Following a league board meeting the previous week where it was decided that finishing the full league campaign was unfeasible, Celtic were proclaimed champions in May 2020. Forster won another league championship medal with Celtic, raising his total number to eight winner's medals in his two stints at the club.

Despite media rumors that Forster is returning to Celtic for another spell, he has returned to Southampton for the 2020-2021 season. Forster was given his first start of the season against defending champions and league leaders against Liverpool and others on January 4th 2021, with a clean sheet in the Saints' 1–0 victory. In the FA Cup against Shrewsbury Town, Arsenal, and Wolverhampton Wanderers, he was followed by clean sheets in his next three appearances. Forster made 13 appearances for Southampton in all competitions in the 2020-21 season.

Southampton defeated Newport County 8–0 for their first away victory in history on August 2521, Forster made his first appearance of the season in the EFL Cup. Forster got off to a few Southampton's EFL Cup games before being knocked out by Chelsea on penalties. Southampton signed Willy Caballero on a short-term deal after injuries to both Forster and McCarthy. Despite this, Forster beat West Ham 3–2 at the London Stadium on December 26th, his first Premier League appearance of the season since returning from injury. Forster stayed in goal in Southampton's 1–1 draw with Tottenham on December 28.

Tottenham Hotspur signed Forster on a free transfer on 8 June 2022; he joined the club on July 1 after his deal with Southampton came to an end.

International career

Forster was included in England's squad against San Marino and Poland on October 4, 2012, according to Roy Hodgson. Forster was then called into Hodgson's England squad for their forthcoming friendly against Sweden on November 8, 2012. Hodgson used Forster in his England squad again on March 14, this time against San Marino and Montenegro. Forster made his fourth appearance in the England squad ahead of the World Cup qualifiers against Moldova and Ukraine, bringing Joe Hart and John Ruddy together in battle for the goalkeeper's spot.

In a friendly match against Chile at Wembley Stadium, Forster earned his first cap for England. England lost 2–0, but Forster was "blameless" on both directions, resulting in a "fine diving save" to deny Chile a third. Forster became only the second person to play for England as a Celtic player after Alan Thompson in 2004.

Hodgson named Forster in England's 23-man squad for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil on May 12, 2014. Joe Hart was substituted by England's last warm-up match before the tournament on June 7th for the final 15 minutes of a 0–0 draw with Honduras. Forster travelled to Brazil with the rest of the England squad, but did not appear in any of England's three matches.

Forster missed most of 2015 due to a knee injury, but his return to playing football in early 2016 earned him a recall to the England squad in March. He appeared in the second half of England's 3–2 friendly victory over Germany in Berlin, making an impressive save from a Marco Reus free kick, but later conceded a goal due to a Mario Gómez header. In a 2–1 loss to the Netherlands on March 29, Forster played the full 90 minutes three days later. Both goals were contentious; Danny Rose insisting that the handball that resulted in the Netherlands first goal was not deliberate, while Phil Jagielka appeared to be fouled in the build-up to Luciano Narsingh's winning goal. Despite losing, Forster put on a good showing and made many good saves. Despite being understudy to Joe Hart and didn't participate in any of England's four matches at the tournament, Forster was chosen in England's 23-man squad for UEFA Euro 2016 on May 31.

Following Euro 2016, Forster was an unused replacement in subsequent England matches, and was barred from the squad completely in August 2017.

He talked about his desire to return to the national team set-up in November 2019.

Forster was summoned back to the England squad for friendly matches against Switzerland and the Ivory Coast on March 23, 2022. Sam Johnstone was a late addition to the squad, replacing him.

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