The future of Newcastle United’s goalkeeping position is currently unclear, although young Aidan Harris is seemingly highly thought of behind the scenes.
Indeed, Newcastle United currently have several goalkeepers on the books, none of whom particularly impress.
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Nick Pope is now back in the team but has inspired little in the way of confidence. Aaron Ramsdale surely won’t be signed permanently, while John Ruddy is set to leave the club.
Mark Gillespie, meanwhile, hasn’t played for the club since 2020.
Still, Harris is a highly-rated young player at Newcastle and Lee Ryder of The Chronicle has shared some interesting insight.
Harris compared to Ederson during Newcastle United training
Speaking on The Everything Is Black And White podcast, Ryder hinted that the 19-year-old has earned the nickname ‘Ederson’ behind the scenes at the Newcastle United training ground.
He said: “They have got Aidan Harris in there, who’s very popular around the club.
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“Hasn’t made a sort of competitive debut. He’s had a loan. He’s had some work experience as well, going to, I think it was South Shields he went to last season.
“So, they’re kind of looking at him as, you know, someone who’s could come in and certainly train. I think his nickname is Ederson around the training ground. So, he’s someone who could be targeting pre-season.”
Though, clearly, Ryder isn’t suggesting that Harris is as good as Ederson, it’s still an interesting tidbit.
The Brazilian goalkeeper is arguably among the finest the Premier League has ever seen, winning six titles during his time at Manchester City.
Now with Turkish giants Fenerbahce, Ederson helped reinvent the goalkeeping role in English football, with his arrival back in 2017 helping usher in a new era of custodians.
Along with compatriot Alisson, the two emerged as genuine ball-playing goalkeepers, helping Manchester City and Liverpool respectively build out from the back.
Again, to suggest Harris is on that level is unfair. It is worth noting, however, that a goalkeeper of such profile is exactly what Newcastle were looking for when they tried to sign James Trafford.
It will be fascinating to see if the expected changes in goal this summer see the teenager handed more of a role this season.
At this stage, given European football is off the cards, it would seem unlikely. Still, Harris is certainly one to watch going forward.
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