Newcastle United look set to reunite with goalkeeper Fraser Forster, who has seriously impressed leading football figures such as Arsene Wenger and Lionel Messi.
Geordie Boot Boys understands that Forster could rejoin Newcastle on a free transfer this summer, 13 years after he left the club for Celtic.
Newcastle United need to boost their homegrown quota ahead of next season’s Champions League campaign. As per UEFA rules, they need to submit a squad list containing at least four players who were on their books for a minimum of three years between the ages of 15 and 21.
Forster fits that profile and is available on a free transfer after he left Spurs upon the expiration of his contract. Newcastle also considered turning to fellow former academy graduates in Tim Krul and Jak Alnwick, but Forster now looks the most likely addition.
While it’s hard to imagine him playing too regularly, he’s a more than capable back-up. Just ask the likes of Wenger and Messi.
Lionel Messi and Arsene Wenger blown away by Newcastle United target Fraser Forster
Messi was seriously impressed with Forster’s performance while a Celtic player when the Argentine’s Barcelona met the Scottish giants in the Champions League back in 2012.
The goalkeeper produced a number of fine saves, leading Messi to say: “The performance of Fraser Forster against us was talked about for a long time.
“There was one game in Scotland when he was not human, it was the best goalkeeping performance I have seen.”
Forster’s excellent performances continued following a move to Southampton. Having kept Arsenal at bay during a Premier League clash in 2016, Wenger said: “He had a brilliant game.”
Former Spurs boss Antonio Conte, meanwhile, said in 2022: “I remember him when I was the coach of Juventus and we played Celtic in the Champions League. I remember really well because he impressed me to see him, the way to be a ‘keeper.”
Gianluigi Buffon’s huge claim about Newcastle United-bound Forster
Forster has always wanted to play for Newcastle but was unable to during his first spell at the club.
While it seems unlikely that he would dislodge Nick Pope from the starting lineup next season, returning to his boyhood club does at least offer him the chance to play a senior game for Newcastle at some point.
It’s not just Conte, Messi and Wenger who were impressed by the 37-year-old earlier in his career.
Back in 2013, Italian legend Gianluigi Buffon told UEFA’s official website: “[He] can become one of the best goalkeepers in Europe.”
At one point in his career, Forster threatened to become exactly that. It will be heartwarming to see him return to Newcastle United.
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