Swansea City goalkeepers Kristoffer Nordfeldt and Erwin Mulder have been told the slate has been wiped clean and the shirt is up for grabs as they start the new season.
Under former manager Graham Potter in the last campaign, neither keeper was able to establish long-term dominance of the position.
Dutchman Mulder started 24 Championship matches, just edging out Swedish international Nordfeldt, who began 22 games, but neither produced the kind of form that made their selection inevitable or unchallenged.
With German youngster Steven Benda also in the mix, new goalkeeping coach Martyn Margetson says the position is someone’s to seize in the early weeks of the campaign.
“As far as I’m concerned, it’s a clean slate for them all,” said Margeston, who was brought in by new manager Steve Cooper this summer.
“I think I would be fair to say that there was a 50-50 split last season and they couldn’t quite establish who was number one.
“Young Steven comes into that now because I had heard a lot of good things about him even before I started.
“I’ve watched every goal we conceded last season, so I’ve already got a clear picture in my mind.
“They (Mulder and Nordfeldt) have two very different styles, but I’ve got pictures of how I can help them, although the messages will be different for them both.
“It’s healthy to have competition. And, like I said, it’s a clean slate now from pre-season and the number one jersey is up for them to compete for.’’
One of the issues Margetson has been addressing is the Swans’ weakness at defending set pieces – a problem that cost them repeatedly last season and finally undermined their bid to make the play-offs.
He told the club’s website that his experience working under Sam Allardyce at West Ham, Crystal Palace, and Everton has proved useful in trying to make the Swans harder to score against as they prepare for their season opener at home to Hull on Saturday.
“Sam’s ethos is a big part of how he runs his clubs by organising the set plays,’’ he added. “It’s definitely part of my remit.
“We’ve already looked at the whole of last season and how we can evolve and help in those situations.
“We will definitely be making tweaks in how we want them to defend, that’s for sure. But that’s work in progress, which we have already started.’’
