Sheffield Wednesday have added another new name to their backroom team, with Sal Bibbo joining as goalkeeper coach.
Danny Rohl‘s Sheffield Wednesday backroom team has another exciting new name to welcome in Bibbo.
Since the Owls appointed Rohl last month, a number of new faces have joined the set up at Hillsborough including Chris Powell and Sascha Lense, with Bibbo the latest.
The 49-year-old is best known for being a goalkeeper coach at Arsenal for a prolonged period, working under the likes of Arsene Wenger and working with a number of top goalkeepers too; one being World Cup winner Emi Martinez.
Aston Villa man Martinez lifted the World Cup as well as the Golden Glove in Qatar last year, and he’s previously spoke highly of Bibbo too.
After sealing a loan move to Reading from Arsenal in 2019, Martinez said of Bibbo:
“I really look up to Sal, he’s a great goalkeeper coach and a great man so he was a major influence in me coming here.
“When (Arsene) Wenger left, so many people were sacked at Arsenal. The fact that Arsenal wanted to keep him (Bibbo) in the club, it was for a reason. I’m very pleased that he’s still at Arsenal.”
Bibbo was on the books at Reading between 1996 and 1998, having also represented the likes of Havant & Waterlooville and Bath City.
Another plus for Sheffield Wednesday
What Sheffield Wednesday need in their current predicament is experience.
The Owls are in a very tough period but having names like Bibbo in and around the first-team can only be a plus for the players.
He’s a tried and tested goalkeeper coach who’s worked with some top names in football, with the Englishman having no doubt played a part in Martinez’s incredible rise to the top of international football.
The Dawson vs Vasquez debate
Right now, the no.1 position at Sheffield Wednesday is somewhat contested.
AC Milan loanee Devis Vasquez and Cameron Dawson have shared the jersey this season, though right now it’s Dawson who’s Rohl’s preferred choice.
Dawson though has come under increasing criticism online and many believe that Vasquez should be reinstated; the latter is a solid shot-stopper, albeit still a very raw player.
Bibbo will surely have a big influence on both and what he’ll relay back to Rohl ahead of match day remains to be seen.
But expect to see gradual improvements in both goalkeepers.