The 21-year-old joined the club in June 2021 having progressed through the academy systems at both Liverpool and Manchester City, before making the switch to the West Midlands.
Throughout the past year, Moulden has gained experience out on loan with Ebbsfleet United and Solihull Moors, reaching the play-off final with the former in 2021/22 before getting a taste of the National League with Moors earlier this season.
Moulden returned from his loan with the non-league outfit at the start of last month and has turned out for the old gold once again, featuring in between the sticks for James Collins’ under-21s.
First-team goalkeeping coach, Tony Roberts, has explained that the plan for Moulden is to remain at Compton Park for the remainder of this season, essentially switching roles with Jackson Smith who joined Walsall on loan last week. Moulden will benefit from Roberts’ coaching and work alongside Jose Sa and Dan Bentley within the first-team environment each day, while being under the watchful eye of head coach Julen Lopetegui.
“Part of the plan for their development is to get game time on loan,” Roberts said. “Louie did well last year and got exposure to decision making processes when dealing with crosses, through balls and, importantly, men’s football.
“He did very well at Ebbsfleet and Solihull, but I wanted him to come back and have a taste of Julen and the way he works.
“He’s had two decent loans, so he’s now understanding the role of what he needs to do day in day out, week in week out.
“Julen was a goalkeeper and he’s always walking over to the sessions, looking and offering his opinion, which is what we want. For Louie to be around that environment with Jose and Dan, it means that everyone is pushing each other which is really good.”
Roberts has a philosophy on how young players become elite goalkeepers, which combines the initial groundwork of understanding what the club are looking for, before going out and experiencing the nitty-gritty of the lower leagues. With two loans under his belt, Roberts is looking forward to seeing Moulden progress his game now that his future is secured until the summer of 2024.
“I want them to be exposed to the physical side of the game and the mental side of being number one somewhere else, where three points is massive to the club and its dressing room.
“It’s important they apply themselves properly and dedicate themselves to working hard through the ups and downs – the position comes with making mistakes, so it’s how they deal with it mentally to go again.
“I want Louie to kick on with his decision making in training and games. He’ll still be jumping in and out of the under-21s when he can, but it’s for him to kick on now with the mental side of the game and how he understands and reads it. I see that in training every day, so he’s getting there.
“Physically he’s in the gym getting quicker, stronger, faster and more powerful. With that, we’ll see improvements every day.”
