# Alex McCarthy
**Alex McCarthy** (Alex Simon McCarthy, born 1989 in [Guildford](https://www.edgepedia.org/guildford)) is an English professional goalkeeper who began his career at Reading, played for Queens Park Rangers and Crystal Palace, spent ten years at Southampton, and joined Leicester City on a free transfer in July 2026. He made his senior England debut in 2018 and stands 193 cm tall.[1](https://fieldinsider.com/scout-report/alex-simon-mccarthy-18935) • [2](https://www.lcfc.com/media-article/leicester-city-lcfc-alex-mccarthy-sign-transfer)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1989, Guildford, England; 193 cm[1](https://fieldinsider.com/scout-report/alex-simon-mccarthy-18935) |
| Position | Goalkeeper[3](https://www.thefa.com/england/mens-seniors/squad/alex-mccarthy) |
| Clubs | Reading (academy product), Queens Park Rangers (August 2014), Crystal Palace (July 2015), Southampton (2016–2026), Leicester City (July 2026)[2](https://www.lcfc.com/media-article/leicester-city-lcfc-alex-mccarthy-sign-transfer) • [4](https://www.11v11.com/players/alex-mccarthy-229570/) |
| Southampton record | 147 appearances over eight years, 124 of them in the Premier League[5](https://www.southamptonfc.com/en/news/article/mccarthy-signs-new-two-year-contract) |
| England | Senior debut in 2018 as a half-time substitute in a 3-0 friendly win over the United States; earlier U19 and U21 caps while at Reading[6](https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/international/england-vs-usa-result-player-ratings-alex-mccarthy-southampton-fc-epl-a8636736.html) • [3](https://www.thefa.com/england/mens-seniors/squad/alex-mccarthy) |
| Promotion | Kept two clean sheets in Southampton's victorious 2023/24 Championship play-off campaign, including the final at Wembley[5](https://www.southamptonfc.com/en/news/article/mccarthy-signs-new-two-year-contract) |
| Current club | Leicester City, two-year contract signed 16 July 2026 on a free transfer[2](https://www.lcfc.com/media-article/leicester-city-lcfc-alex-mccarthy-sign-transfer) |
## Reading and early career
McCarthy came through the Reading academy and established himself at senior level with the [Berkshire](https://www.edgepedia.org/berkshire) club, interspersed with a series of loan moves in the EFL.[2](https://www.lcfc.com/media-article/leicester-city-lcfc-alex-mccarthy-sign-transfer) His first senior involvement with England came at U19 and U21 level while he was on Reading's books.[3](https://www.thefa.com/england/mens-seniors/squad/alex-mccarthy)
Injuries interrupted his rise. In November 2012 he collided with a post against Queens Park Rangers, and after surgery it was feared he might miss the remainder of the season; at the time he was 23 and, as he put it in a May 2013 interview, unwilling to force things because goalkeepers have longer careers.[7](https://www.theguardian.com/football/2013/may/17/alex-mccarthy-england-reading) That same month he said he never expected to end the season being picked for England, after receiving a senior call-up.[7](https://www.theguardian.com/football/2013/may/17/alex-mccarthy-england-reading)
## QPR, Crystal Palace, and the move to Southampton
McCarthy joined Queens Park Rangers in August 2014 on a four-year contract, then moved to Crystal Palace in July 2015, also on a four-year deal; [Sky Sports](https://www.edgepedia.org/sky-sports) records the Palace transfer fee as £3.5 million.[4](https://www.11v11.com/players/alex-mccarthy-229570/) • [8](https://www.skysports.com/football/player/15254/alex-mccarthy) Neither spell made him a regular, and in 2016 he joined [Southampton](https://www.edgepedia.org/southampton).[2](https://www.lcfc.com/media-article/leicester-city-lcfc-alex-mccarthy-sign-transfer)
The move revived his international prospects: in September 2016, [Sam Allardyce](https://www.edgepedia.org/sam-allardyce) called him into the England squad to replace his injured Southampton teammate [Fraser Forster](https://www.edgepedia.org/fraser-forster).[3](https://www.thefa.com/england/mens-seniors/squad/alex-mccarthy)
## Southampton decade
McCarthy spent ten years at Southampton, from the start of the 2016/17 season at the Staplewood Campus to a summer departure in 2026, making 147 appearances for the club, 124 of them in the Premier League.[5](https://www.southamptonfc.com/en/news/article/mccarthy-signs-new-two-year-contract) • [2](https://www.lcfc.com/media-article/leicester-city-lcfc-alex-mccarthy-sign-transfer) He signed a new two-year contract at St Mary's in 2024.[5](https://www.southamptonfc.com/en/news/article/mccarthy-signs-new-two-year-contract)
**England debut.** His senior England debut came in November 2018, when he came on as a half-time substitute in a 3-0 friendly win over the United States, making saves from [Christian Pulisic](https://www.edgepedia.org/christian-pulisic), Tim Weah, and Josh Green before being withdrawn at the interval as planned.[6](https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/international/england-vs-usa-result-player-ratings-alex-mccarthy-southampton-fc-epl-a8636736.html) His parents missed the occasion; they were climbing to the summit of one of the world's most famous sites at the time.[6](https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/international/england-vs-usa-result-player-ratings-alex-mccarthy-southampton-fc-epl-a8636736.html)
**Injury and competition.** McCarthy's Southampton years alternated between spells as first choice and periods out of the side, with Fraser Forster, Angus Gunn, and later [Gavin Bazunu](https://www.edgepedia.org/gavin-bazunu) among his competitors for the gloves.[9](https://www.transfermarkt.us/fc-southampton/torhueterchronik/verein/180) In December 2021 he suffered a hamstring injury in a 1-1 draw with Brighton at St Mary's; manager Ralph Hasenhuttl criticized him for not revealing the true extent of the problem, which contributed to [Neal Maupay](https://www.edgepedia.org/neal-maupay)'s added-time equalizer, and left Southampton at risk of having only the uncapped academy graduate Harry Lewis fit.[10](https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/ralph-hasenhuttl-alex-mccarthy-southampton-brighton-fraser-forster-b1970078.html)
**Promotion and exit.** In the 2023/24 Championship season, McCarthy kept two clean sheets through the victorious play-off campaign, including one in the final at Wembley as Southampton returned to the Premier League.[5](https://www.southamptonfc.com/en/news/article/mccarthy-signs-new-two-year-contract) In his final Southampton season he played a fringe role, making 7 appearances with 2 clean sheets as the club finished 4th of 24 in the Championship, before leaving in the summer of 2026.[1](https://fieldinsider.com/scout-report/alex-simon-mccarthy-18935) • [2](https://www.lcfc.com/media-article/leicester-city-lcfc-alex-mccarthy-sign-transfer)
## Leicester City
On 16 July 2026, the 36-year-old McCarthy signed a two-year contract with Leicester City on a free transfer, joining the League One club at [King Power Stadium](https://www.edgepedia.org/king-power-stadium) as its second signing of the day, after Conor Chaplin.[2](https://www.lcfc.com/media-article/leicester-city-lcfc-alex-mccarthy-sign-transfer) • [11](https://www.lcfc.com/media-article/alex-mccarthy-speaks-first-leicester-city-interview-lcfc-goalkeeper-quotes-signing) He described the move as a chance to use his experience in games and around the training ground, and to compete daily with the other goalkeepers.[2](https://www.lcfc.com/media-article/leicester-city-lcfc-alex-mccarthy-sign-transfer)
## Analytical view of his game
Statistical analyses of English goalkeepers have reached differing conclusions about McCarthy's shot-stopping. An analysis by the agency World in Motion published by Sky Sports ranked him bottom among English Premier League keepers for shot-stopping at -1.3 percent in the season examined, while a Total Football Analysis study of a later season concluded that, on shot-stopping measures, McCarthy had been the best English goalkeeper, though his age and experience profile meant he was likely to be overlooked for the England number one role.[12](https://www.skysports.com/football/news/11648752/which-premier-league-goalkeeper-should-claim-england-no-1-jersey) • [13](https://totalfootballanalysis.com/article/data-analysis-who-should-be-englands-number-one-statistics) A data-driven goalkeeper evaluation framework covering the 2017/18 Premier League season placed his collected-crosses rate at 0.25 against an expected 0.23, roughly in line with expectation.[14](https://assets-global.website-files.com/5f1af76ed86d6771ad48324b/5f6d337d392f8617cd75bc0b_Data-Driven-Goalkeeper-Evaluation-Framework-1.pdf)
## References
1. [Alex McCarthy – Stats, Rating & Scouting Report, Field Insider](https://fieldinsider.com/scout-report/alex-simon-mccarthy-18935)
2. [Goalkeeper Alex McCarthy Signs For Leicester City, Leicester City FC](https://www.lcfc.com/media-article/leicester-city-lcfc-alex-mccarthy-sign-transfer)
3. [England player profile: Alex McCarthy, The FA](https://www.thefa.com/england/mens-seniors/squad/alex-mccarthy)
4. [Alex McCarthy Football Player Statistics, 11v11.com](https://www.11v11.com/players/alex-mccarthy-229570/)
5. [McCarthy signs new two-year contract, Southampton FC](https://www.southamptonfc.com/en/news/article/mccarthy-signs-new-two-year-contract)
6. [England vs USA: Why Alex McCarthy's parents missed his Three Lions debut, The Independent](https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/international/england-vs-usa-result-player-ratings-alex-mccarthy-southampton-fc-epl-a8636736.html)
7. [Alex McCarthy: 'I never thought I'd end season being picked for England', The Guardian](https://www.theguardian.com/football/2013/may/17/alex-mccarthy-england-reading)
8. [Alex McCarthy transfer history, Sky Sports](https://www.skysports.com/football/player/15254/alex-mccarthy)
9. [Southampton FC – Record of goalkeepers, Transfermarkt](https://www.transfermarkt.us/fc-southampton/torhueterchronik/verein/180)
10. [Southampton face goalkeeper 'problem' following Alex McCarthy injury, The Independent](https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/ralph-hasenhuttl-alex-mccarthy-southampton-brighton-fraser-forster-b1970078.html)
11. [McCarthy: The Ambitions Are Clear, Leicester City FC](https://www.lcfc.com/media-article/alex-mccarthy-speaks-first-leicester-city-interview-lcfc-goalkeeper-quotes-signing)
12. [Which Premier League goalkeeper should claim England No 1 jersey?, Sky Sports](https://www.skysports.com/football/news/11648752/which-premier-league-goalkeeper-should-claim-england-no-1-jersey)
13. [Data analysis: Who should be England's number one?, Total Football Analysis](https://totalfootballanalysis.com/article/data-analysis-who-should-be-englands-number-one-statistics)
14. [A Data Driven Goalkeeper Evaluation Framework](https://assets-global.website-files.com/5f1af76ed86d6771ad48324b/5f6d337d392f8617cd75bc0b_Data-Driven-Goalkeeper-Evaluation-Framework-1.pdf)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Association football › Football people and teams › People › Men's footballers of the British Isles (modern era) › English footballers 2015–present › Goalkeepers*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Oct 12, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
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