TalkSport reporter Alex Crook criticised the recent transfer rumour that Newcastle United are looking to sign goalkeeper Nick Pope in this summer’s transfer window.
Newcastle are continuing their rebuild this summer, with links to impressive players like Hugo Ekitike, Sven Botman, Renan Lodi, and most recently, Pope. The £13.5m-rated goalkeeper has been linked with a switch to the Tyneside outfit to compete with current goalkeepers Martin Dubravka and Karl Darlow.
However, the rumours have been slammed by TalkSport report Crook, who doesn’t believe manager Eddie Howe would be looking to sign the goalkeeper as he does not fit the type of player the manager is looking for.
He said on TalkSport’s GameDay podcast: “Dean Henderson, I think, will go to Nottingham Forest, basically because he’s run out of options, and Newcastle, therefore, now turning their attentions towards Nick Pope – which is interesting, because I was told that Eddie Howe wanted a goalkeeper with the capability to play out from the back. And as we know, Nick Pope, that is probably the weakest part of his game.”
TIF Thoughts on Pope to Newcastle…
The Magpies could use an upgrade in the defence this season, as they ranked 15th in goals conceded with 62 – a rate of 1.5 per game. However, it is hard to say whether or not Pope would be a big enough upgrade on Dubravka to warrant a move this summer.
Last season, the Newcastle No 1 kept eight clean sheets in 26 games, while Pope kept just one more in 36 appearances. Dubravka also ranked in the 90th percentile for post-shot expected goals last season, while Pope ranked in the 84th percentile.
Considering the goalkeeper has just one year left on his contract with the Clarets, signing the England international as competition for Dubravka could be a good idea, but perhaps only if they can get him for a cheaper deal than the £40m Burnley are demanding. Otherwise, it might be wiser to spend the money elsewhere by looking for another option.
Should NUFC sign Pope?Yes
No
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