Wolves are delighted to announce that keeper Carl Ikeme has signed a new two-and-a-half year contract, with a further year’s option in the club’s favour.
Ikeme, who has been with Wolves since arriving at the Academy as a 15-year-old, was in the final year of his previous deal but has now committed his future to Molineux until at least the summer of 2019.
Head Coach Paul Lambert said: “I think it is important to get players like Carl Ikeme signed up to a new deal.
“As it was with Dave Edwards, he is an experienced member of the team.
“He knows exactly what the club is about and if you get a core of lads like that then they can look after the dressing room as well.
“Carl has been terrific since I arrived and I think this is a big signing for the club.
“I remember coming here with Blackburn last season and he made some incredible saves.
“He is a big presence, a great lad and a top goalkeeper.”
“This is great news,” added Wolves Sporting Director Kevin Thelwell.
“Carl has been at Wolves for such a long time and is a bif part of what we are trying to achieve going forwards.
“In my opinion he is still right up there as one of the best goalkeepers in the Championship.
“Wolves means a lot to him, and it means a lot to us to get him to commit his future to the club.
“We are all absolutely delighted.”
Ikeme, 30, has been something of a late developer when it comes to Wolves, but has more than made up for that in recent years.
The Birmingham-born gloveman became a regular in the reserve side in the 2003/04 season and was also named on the bench in the Premier League on several occasions.
His first taste of senior football came during a loan spell with Accrington Stanley, starting in November, 2004, and he made his first Wolves appearance in the 5-1 Carling Cup win against Chester the following August.
A couple of outings for Wolves came in the 2006/07 campaign but it was in the Championship-winning campaign of 2008/09 that enjoyed his first sustained run, chalking up 13 appearances.
Both before and after that time he enjoyed numerous loan spells to build up his experience, comprising Stockport, Charlton, Sheffield United, QPR, Leicester, Middlesbrough and Doncaster.
The 2012/13 season provided Ikeme with his major breakthrough at Wolves, making 41 appearances, and then, as the team stormed to the Sky Bet League One title the following campaign, he made 45 appearances in all competitions. He was in goal for 22 of the 25 league clean sheets during that season, a club record.
Since then Ikeme has gone on to be Wolves’ first choice for almost all of the last three-and-a-half seasons back in the Championship, and he has now made 192 appearances for the club in all competitions.
The high level and consistency of his performances have also seen Ikeme make a long-awaited breakthrough at international level with Nigeria, making his debut in an African Cup of Nations qualifier against Tanzania in September, 2015.
