Newcastle United will face major decisions in goal next summer as Eddie Howe must evaluate a crowded goalkeeper rotation that boasts more players than will ever be needed.
Chris Waugh addressed the situation in Tuesday’s The Athletic mailbag, revealing Newcastle’s expectations to make some moves next summer after a full season of evaluation.
“Newcastle have big decisions to make when it comes to the goalkeeper department and Howe is using the campaign to assess what he wants to do,” Waugh reported.
Nick Pope obviously remains the established No. 1, and his shot-stopping has been “magnificent this season,” in Waugh’s words, though his limited distribution continues to be viewed as a weakness and should give pause to Howe regarding his unmovable role as the clear-cut No. 1 of the team.
Still, Waugh noted that “Pope wins significantly more points than he loses for Newcastle,” which isn’t entirely wrong.
Aaron Ramsdale, meanwhile, was signed on an initial loan from Southampton with an option to buy — a deal Newcastle arranged after losing out to Manchester City for long-term target James Trafford. Waugh described Ramsdale’s situation as “an old-fashioned, campaign-long trial.”
The 27-year-old England international offers better ball-playing ability than Pope, but Waugh added, “he is a less consistent shot-stopper.”
Howe’s strategy is to let the season determine whether Ramsdale can serve as long-term competition — or even surpass Pope as first choice, as impossibly sounding as it gets.
If Ramsdale fails to convince, Newcastle intend to identify their next permanent No. 1 during the campaign, which you can bet your house on.
Waugh also floated a potential future return to the pursuit of Trafford, noting that “given Trafford has already been dropped by Manchester City to accommodate Gianluigi Donnarumma’s arrival, it is not inconceivable that the 22-year-old may still end up on Tyneside one day.”
Not buying it!
