Newcastle United’s goalkeeper overhaul has left veteran Nick Pope facing an increasingly uncertain future at St. James’ Park.
The 34-year-old is entering the final year of his contract with the Magpies and has yet to appear in a game under new manager Matthias Jaissle, who has made it clear Pope is no longer the Magpies’ best option in net.
Pope has already missed Newcastle’s last three preseason friendlies after the arrivals of Lukas Hornicek and Ewen Jaouen, and after being linked with the goalie
a few days ago, it looks like Scottish giants Celtic continues to explore a move for the former England international.
Football Insider first reported that Pope will not force an exit, but would be “firmly open” to leaving if an opportunity for regular first-team soccer becomes available.
The biggest obstacle to Celtic completing the transfer, however, could be financial. Former Aberdeen chief executive Keith Wyness told Football Insider that Pope’s current Newcastle salary sits well beyond the Scottish club’s normal wage structure.
“Wages are going to be an issue. What am I looking at, somewhere between £60,000 and £80,000-a-week? That’s way beyond Celtic’s wage structure,” Wyness said.
Celtic has made adding an experienced goalkeeper a priority following Kasper Schmeichel’s retirement, with 24-year-old Viljami Sinisalo — who has never started more than 12 top-flight division games in a single season — beginning the season as Martin O’Neill’s No. 1.
Wyness believes there is a possible route to completing a deal for Pope, but Celtic would probably need to compensate for a reduced salary by providing Pope with more guaranteed years in his deal and the financial security that’d add to the veteran’s contract.
“They’re going to have to offer probably a four-year contract, which, for a goalkeeper, is very possible,” Wyness said. “So that’s what they’re going to have to trade off: long-term security for a lower wage.
“That would be a big upgrade for them in terms of getting Nick Pope between the sticks. I think for him, it might be the trade-off in terms of getting some European football, but there may be some bonuses involved in European results that could get his wages up.”
Newcastle, meanwhile, is more than ready to sanction Pope’s departure after investing heavily in its goalkeeping department, although no agreement with Celtic has been reported yet.
Would accepting lower wages for a longer Celtic contract make sense for Pope at this stage of his career? Would you stay at Newcastle as the third-string goalie this season, or move to Celtic under lower wages? Let us know in the comments below!
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