Derby County have been brilliant since returning to the Championship, and have defied early expectations.
While their away form has been a bit disappointing, at home they have been near-perfect, losing just one of their five games at Pride Park, conceding only three goals and keeping four clean sheets.
Three of those shut-outs have come with summer signing Jacob Widell Zetterstrom between the posts, and the Swedish shot-stopper has excelled since arriving in England in August.
He has consistently kept the Rams in matches, and has quickly established himself as a fan’s favourite in just over two months at the club. However, it could have easily been different, as before Derby made the £1.4 million move for the 26-year-old, Premier League side Wolverhampton Wanderers were interested.
Wolves may regret not poaching Zetterstrom in the summer
While Wolves were linked with Zetterstrom back in May, they were seemingly beaten to a deal by the Championship side as Paul Warne made him his number one target.
The Rams suffered several setbacks throughout the summer as they chased a deal for the 6ft 6in goalkeeper, before eventually announcing him just before their second game of the season against Middlesbrough.
Zetterstrom has quickly adjusted to life at Derby, and while some improvements are perhaps still needed, particularly his distribution, his shot stopping ability is excellent, and he is quickly proving to be one of the best goalkeepers in the second tier.
In an interview with Derbyshire Live, the Swede expressed just how much he is enjoying himself at Pride Park, explaining the impact that Warne had on the deal, and Wolves supporters may be questioning why they did not commit to a transfer in the window.
Talking about the connections he has already made at the club with those at the club, Zetterstrom detailed the way that his new manager instantly appealed to him: “I also had a good feeling right off the bat with the manager. He wore a Djurgarden cap in our first meeting and I just loved seeing that. He and Andy Warrington instantly showed what incredible people they are.
“The football side is so important. but you have to have a good connection with the people around it as well. I got that from the start. He’s a funny guy, really lights the room up and he works really well with the players. I’m very happy to be here and playing for him.”
Millwall performance captures what Zetterstrom is all about
While he has had several excellent performances in a Derby shirt, his performance against Millwall was one of his best, and he was a key reason behind the Rams earning their first away point of the season.
The 26-year-old made five saves, denying the Lions constantly in both the first and second-half at The Den. According to FotMob, Zetterstrom prevented 1.59 goals and was his team’s best player throughout.
| Jacob Widell Zetterstrom Stats vs Millwall (FotMob) | |
|---|---|
| Minutes Played | 90 |
| Goals Conceded | 1 |
| Goals Conceded | 1.59 |
| Pass Accuracy | 43% |
| Saves | 5 |
| Punches | 1 |
| High Claims | 1 |
| Recoveries | 12 |
| FotMob Rating | 8.4 |
He could do little to deny Mihailo Ivanovic his 85th equaliser, as the striker rounded the Swede following an unlucky bounce from a Curtis Nelson pass that deflected off the goalscorer.
Nevertheless, it was yet another performance where Wolves supporters will perhaps watch on and wonder why there was not a bigger effort made to bring Zetterstrom to Molineux, as he grows in confidence game by game.
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