Newcastle United’s goalkeeping department has undergone a huge transformation this summer following the arrivals of two new goalies and the departure of on-loan Aaron Ramsdale.
All of that left Nick Pope facing the prospect of beginning the new Premier League season outside Matthias Jaissle’s starting XI, if not entirely out of Tyneside, as there have been suggestions of a likely sale ahead of the new campaign.
The Magpies have spent heavily on two younger goalkeepers, paying £25.7 million (€29.8 million)
for Lukas Hornicek from Braga and £18.5 million (€21.5 million) for Ewen Jaouen. Pope, meanwhile, has been omitted from Newcastle’s last three preseason friendlies while entering the final year of his contract, and Jaissle already acknowledged that both sides were looking for a solution just over a week ago.
Despite all of those signs pointing toward a possible departure, talkSPORT has now reported that Pope has no intention of simply surrendering his Newcastle career and is prepared to compete with Hornicek for the No. 1 job.
“Nick Pope wants to stay at Newcastle and fight for his place, talkSPORT understands,” the outlet reported. “Pope’s status as the Magpies’ number one goalkeeper is in doubt following the arrival of giant Czech stopper Lukas Hornicek.”
According to talkSPORT, sources close to the 34-year-old say Pope has “no immediate plans” to leave St. James’ Park despite reported interest from Celtic, Leeds United and Ipswich Town.
Pope has made more than 100 Premier League appearances since arriving from Burnley in 2022, but Newcastle’s investment in Hornicek and Jaouen has fundamentally changed the competition in net.
“I had a talk with Nick,” Jaissle said. “I really appreciate what he did in his career so far, and he knows exactly his situation right now, and we need to deal with it in the best possible way.”
Football Insider previously reported that Pope would not push for a transfer but would be open to leaving for regular first-team soccer, while Celtic has continued to be linked with him. The problem, however, lies in Pope’s sky-high salary compared to what the Scottish giants can offer him, thus the impasse.
If TalkSPORT’s latest information is correct, then Newcastle might have a situation brewing inside the locker room. Pope seems locked into staying at the club and not only that, but also trying to fight, make life difficult for everybody, and win his place back as the team’s No. 1 goaltender.
Would you keep Pope and give him the opportunity to reclaim the No. 1 shirt, or should Newcastle move him as soon as possible before the transfer window is over? Give us your thoughts in the comments section below!
Join the conversation!
Sign up for a user account at Coming Home Newcastle and get:
- Create community posts on The Feed for everyone to read
- Comment on all articles and community posts
- Rec comments and community posts
- Enjoy a new, improved notifications system
- Fewer ads
