Newcastle United agreed a £10m deal to sign Nick Pope in June and have an experienced England international to compete with Martin Dubravka for a starting place next season. Paul Merson hailed the signing in his recent Sportskeeda column and called the transfer ‘ridiculous’ for the Magpies pulling off a coup.
He wrote: “Nick Pope is a top goalkeeper. It’s ridiculous that Newcastle got a player of his caliber for as little as £10 million. There isn’t much between (Jordan Pickford) and Pope – that’s how good a player the former Burnley man is. Pope will save them points and is a top, top goalkeeper for their project.”
The 30-year-old joined on a four-year deal from Burnley, having made 155 appearances in all competitions, conceding 186 goals with 53 clean sheets. Burnley’s relegation has resulted in many players jumping ship to stay in the Premier League and Pope was no different.
For the sake of his England prospects ahead of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, he needs to be a regular at a top-flight club next season. Pope got the move he wanted but now has to prove his worth. The 30-year-old has featured in more than 140 Premier League games, so there’s no reason why he can’t dethrone Dubravka.
Eddie Howe wouldn’t have signed Pope to sit on the bench next season, so Newcastle’s summer training camp may be his best time to audition.
In other news, Newcastle told to sign ‘proven’ Douglas Luiz from Aston Villa this summer
