Newcastle United are edging closer to making Nick Pope their second signing of the summer.
The Burnley goalkeeper emerged as a target late last week, and now it looks like he will be heading to St James’ Park.
The Telegraph report that a deal for the 30-year-old is very close, with Newcastle set to pay around £10million for the goalkeeper.
That’s a great price for a great player. Pope is one of the top shot stoppers in the Premier League, and deserves to be in the top flight after suffering relegation to the Championship.
He will provide great competition for Martin Dubravka, who has been our number one since he joined the club in January 2018.
The Telegraph add that Pope is ‘desperate‘ to move to St James’ Park. And so he should be.
Newcastle is the place to be for Nick Pope
Something special happened at Newcastle United last season. The takeover gave fans renewed hope, then Eddie Howe arrived to give the club direction.
His efforts guided the Magpies away from relegation danger with ease. We ended the 2021/22 campaign in 11th, narrowly missing out on the top half.
St James’ Park became a fortress once again. After Howe was appointed manager, the only teams to beat us on our own turf were Manchester City, Liverpool and…Cambridge United.
The FA Cup humiliation was the only blip in a magical second half of a season that made Toon fans believe once again.
The atmosphere has been electric, and that was summed up perfectly by the final home game of the season against Arsenal. It was a magical night in May, with a raucous crowd watching their team put the Gunners to the sword.
The scenes that night should be enough inspiration for anyone to join Newcastle right now. Why wouldn’t you want to play in front of that crowd?
It looks like Pope will be experiencing the St James’ Park noise full time next season, and he will be welcomed to the North East with open arms.
He can achieve World Cup dream with Newcastle
Having gone to the 2018 World Cup in Russia, Pope will have ambitions of representing the Three Lions again in Qatar.
A move to Newcastle will certainly boost his chances of making Gareth Southgate’s squad. He’d have less of a chance if he had remained in the Championship with Burnley.
If anything, a move to Newcastle could enhance Pope’s chances of becoming England’s number one. The place is up for grabs, with Jordan Pickford and Aaron Ramsdale currently competing for the honour.
There has always been criticism of Pope’s distribution, but if he can improve on that under Howe then he might change Southgate’s mind. He certainly will need to improve, as that’s what Howe wants from his goalkeeper.
Representing England as a Newcastle player is possible once again, with Kieran Trippier doing just that. With Pope potentially on his way to the North East, we could have two players in the England squad at the World Cup this winter.
Newcastle are a club going in the right direction. It’s a special place to play football right now, and it won’t hinder your international aspirations either.
Pope is desperate to join Newcastle, and so he should be. Hopefully more follow.