Jacob Widell Zetterstrom

Derby County completed the signing of Sweden international goalkeeper Jacob Widell Zetterström in August.

Zetterström joined Derby on a three-year contract until 2027 from Swedish side Djurgården for an undisclosed fee.

The 6ft 6in shot-stopper had been the Stockholm club’s first choice between the sticks over the previous four years and his form has seen him be called up the Sweden squad on a number of occasions.

Zetterstrom’s career as a youth player began at Djurgården before he made the move to IFK Lidingö.

After being part of their youth set-up, he progressed into the senior side and between 2016 and 2018 he featured in the Östra Svealand (Fifth Tier) and Norra Svealand (Fourth Tier).

After 34 league appearances, he returned to Djurgården in 2019, although he spent his first year with the club back on loan at to IFK Lidingö to continue to gain match experience.

Zetterström’s debut for Djurgården came in 2021 and he kept a clean sheet in goalless draw with IFK Göteborg to mark his top-flight debut. He went on to keep seven shut-outs in 23 league outings during the 2021 season.

A further 28 appearances in the league followed in the 2022 season as the side finished second in the table, alongside a healthy return of 12 clean sheets, backed up by 23 matches and 11 clean sheets for the 2023 campaign as Djurgården finished in fourth spot.

In their 2024 season before moving to Derby, he kept seven clean sheets from 17 league appearances.

In addition to the league, Zetterström gained experience in cup competitions. As well as playing in the Svenska Cupen, Sweden’s major cup competition, he has also been involved in European competition in recent seasons by playing in UEFA Conference League Qualifiers and the Group Stages, racking up 12 appearances in the qualifiers and five in the Conference League itself.

Zetterström’s single international cap before joining Derby came in a 2-1 friendly victory over Iceland in January 2023. He played the first half of the game and saved a penalty in his 45 minutes on the pitch, albeit he was unfortunate to see the rebound turned home. He had been an unused substitute on three occasions for the national side.