Jacob Widell Zetterstrom

Derby County completed the signing of Sweden international goalkeeper Jacob Widell Zetterström in August 2024.

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

The 6ft 6in shot-stopper made 40 appearances in his first full campaign on English soil in the 2024/25 season and kept nine clean sheets as the Rams retained their Championship status.

Over the previous four years, he had been Djurgårdens’ first choice between the sticks, and his form saw him called up to the Sweden squad on several occasions.

Zetterström’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 to the senior side, and between 2016 and 2018, he featured in the Östra Svealand (Fifth Tier) and Norra Svealand (Fourth Tier) leagues.

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

Zetterström’s debut for Djurgården came in 2021, and he kept a clean sheet in a goalless draw with IFK Göteborg to mark his top-flight debut. He went on to hold seven shutouts 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.

He kept seven clean sheets from 17 league appearances in his final season with the Stockholm club in 2024.

In addition to the league, Zetterström was also involved in European competition by participating in UEFA Conference League Qualifiers and the Group Stages, accumulating 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. Since then, he has been a part of Sweden’s squad on a regular basis.