Wolves have beaten off interest from two other Premier League clubs to sign Marcus Hahnemann on a free transfer.
Mick McCarthy already has three keepers vying for a first-team spot but knows that Matt Murray’s injury proneness and Wayne Hennessey’s struggles in commanding his penalty area made strengthening imperative.
On Monday Nenad Milijas became the club’s first signing since securing promotion from The Championship and 37-year-old Hahnemann, who was released by Reading last summer, has now followed suit by signing a one-year deal at Molineux.
“It’s an excellent move for me,” said the American. “Wolves are a massive club and it’s another chance to play in The Premier League – that’s a huge draw for me.
“I know I have a real fight to be the number one and no promises have been made. I know I have to go in there, have a good pre-season and then see what happens.”
Chief Executive Jez Moxey was keen to echo the words of Hahnemann, making it plain to Hennessey that his place in the first team is now very much up for grabs.
He said: “Marcus had two other offers in The Premier League but he wanted to come here, because Mick said ‘you’re a very good keeper and if you are the best keeper out of the three, you will play.’
“That’s the sort of competition we want in our goalkeeping department and right through the side. Mick wants competition for every spot but with injuries, we didn’t always have that in the goalkeeping department last season.
“After talking to Mick, Marcus wanted to join because he realises he has a genuine chance which he might not have got elsewhere.
“He’s a very good goalkeeper who will be challenging Wayne Hennessey and Carl Ikeme directly for the number one spot.
“We have talked about Premier League experience, which is something Mick has identified in potential signings and we knew it would be difficult to get.
“With an excellent record at Reading, Marcus fits that criteria. He’s been playing at a very high level for seven years in this country and been a key part of Reading’s success in that period.
“Negotiations were smooth - he wanted to join and we wanted him. We thought this would be a good thing to do.”