Swansea City were hoping the persist pain goalkeeper Michel Vorm was experiencing in his knee could be tolerated until January, but with the Dutch international in discomfort throughout last weekend’s match against Norwich City, the player and club moved the planned procedure forward. As of Thursday, the 30-year-old is now out indefinitely, the pain he felt at Carrow Road deemed to much to carry until the start of the transfer window.
How long Vorm will be out has yet to be determined. According to the club’s website, today’s procedure required surgeons to “explore the knee before carrying out work on clearing any loose ligaments and fragments of bone.” Vorm’s prognosis will dependent on the scale of the ensuing procedure.
Having previously said a January operation was necessary to be able to play in the World Cup, Vorm should be able to return this season, provided the extent of the damage didn’t exceed expectations. Without him, however, there will be a major drop off.
Gerhard Tremmel, a 35-year-old German, has already made 10 appearances this season: six in Europa League; three in the Premier League; one in League Cup. With four wins, Tremmel has kept two clean sheets, saving 59.5 percent of the shots he’s faced.
The difference between those results’ and Vorm’s hint at why Swansea were hoping to make it to the transfer window. The normal Swans No. 1 has kept seven clean sheets in 17 starts, stopping 70.9 percent of the shots he’s faced en route to eight victories.
With three matches before the opening of the transfer window (vs. Everton, at Chelsea, at Aston Villa), Swansea will get a better look at what they have in Tremmel. Still, all signs points to a new goalkeeper making his way to Wales at some point in the January window.