‘It is horrible’ – Premier League goalkeepers unhappy as mistakes predicted with new ball

Some Premier League goalkeepers are reportedly dismayed with the new official Puma ball used in this season’s top flight.

Puma took over as the new suppliers of the Premier League’s ball after Nike’s 25-year contract ran out at the end of last season.

But after just one round of Premier League fixtures, a host of shot-stoppers have unanimously given the ball the thumbs down claiming it will lead to a host of mishaps.

One Premier League keeper anonymously told SunSport: “It is more like a volleyball and it moves in the air so much. The Nike one was not like that.

“I don’t ever remember a ball like this and I have got one at home to keep getting used to the feel of it.

“It is extremely slippery which makes it difficult to handle. There will be a lot of mistakes this season.

“The ball has apparently been made for strikers but they also struggle with it because of the movement.”

Meanwhile, another anonymous Premier League keeper told SunSport: “The ball is certainly not made for goalkeepers. I think it is horrible.

“You cannot get a proper grip unless it is an older matchball but there are always new ones for us on matchday.

“You will not be seeing many catches this season, I guarantee that.”

The new ball is titled the Orbita Ultimate PL and was used for the first time in last month’s Premier League Summer Series in the United States.

Puma are also responsible for supplying match balls for all EFL competitions while Mitre provides the ball for the FA Cup and Adidas for the Champions League.

However, issues with Puma’s footballs were made apparent as early as last season.

Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta questioned the ball during his side’s 2-0 defeat to Newcastle in the first leg at the Emirates.

“They had 23 shots, but just three on target,” Arteta said of Arsenal’s profligacy on the night.

“We also kicked a lot of balls over the bar, and it’s tricky that these balls fly a lot so there’s details that we can do better.”

Asked about his take on the Puma ball compared to the ball used in the Premier League, he said: “No, it’s just different. It’s very different to the Premier League ball and you have to adapt to that.

“It flies differently… when you touch it, the grip is very different as well so you have to adapt to that.”

However, the EFL immediately responded to Arteta’s claims saying: “All clubs play with the same ball.”

After revealing this season’s ball, Puma marketing vice-president Richard Teyssier said: “On average, a professional footballer has control of the ball for around 109 seconds every game.

“So when you have the ball at your feet you need to make it count and create moments that make a difference on the pitch.”