Newcastle United was rocked by the news this week that Nick Pope will be out for up to five months due to his injury sustained in their 1-0 victory over Manchester United. They could now look to a Manchester United goalkeeping legend to get them through to the end of the season.
Big bookmakers now have David De Gea priced as short as evens to join Newcastle in the January transfer window. It would be a sensational return for the Spanish goalkeeper, who’s been without a club since leaving Manchester United in the summer.
The Spaniard could be the perfect replacement for Nick Pope. Their goalkeeping styles are similar, focusing on incredible shot-stopping. Manchester United fans bemoaned De Gea’s lack of ability with his feet, but this would be less of an issue in the more direct system employed by Eddie Howe.
His outstanding career in Manchester came to an ignominious end as he was seemingly offered a contract only to have it taken away at the last second. Manchester United then spent £50,000,000 on Andre Onana. This signing has not come to fruition so far, as he was almost single-handedly responsible for them crashing out of the Champions League.
De Gea is also drawing solid interest from Spanish giants Barcelona. A move back to his native country is definitely a possibility, but he would have to accept being a backup if he joined them. There are still faint rumours of interest from Saudi clubs as well.
Another goalkeeper linked to Newcastle is Arsenal’s Aaron Ramsdale. He’s out of favour at the Emirates, but a deal would cost exponentially more than any De Gea signing bonus. Current backup Martin Dubravka is an experienced goalkeeper and also an option.
De Gea’s free-agent status makes him the most obvious choice for Newcastle to cover Pope’s injury. They could do a short-term deal to see how the Spaniard performs, and he can get back to playing in the best league in the world.
Selected related betting odds:
David de Gea to join Newcastle in January – 1/1
David de Gea to join Barcelona in January – 4/1
Aaron Ramsdale to join Newcastle in January – 5/1
Newcastle to finish top 4 – 6/4
Odds sourced by your-bonus-code at 16:30 on 6th December and are subject to change.
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