Eddie Howe’s decision to bring Aaron Ramsdale in for Nick Pope as Newcastle United beat Manchester United was inspired, so it would be a major mistake to go back on it now.
In Howe’s defence, neither goalkeeper has been totally convincing and Ramsdale’s fine performance in Newcastle United’s win over Manchester United does not mean he’s suddenly a world-beater.
Convince me otherwise: Eddie Howe gave me my greatest day as a Newcastle fan but he has taken us as far as he can
DISCLAIMER: It's not all his fault, chaos behind the scenes and PSR does not help 😡
Still, in dropping Pope, Howe started to prove he is not too loyal to some of his underperforming players.
The worst thing he could do now is go back on that.
Why Pope shouldn’t play for Newcastle United again this season
Pope has been a fine servant to the club, keeping 46 clean sheets in 126 games and making a brilliant save from Curtis Jones in the 2025 Carabao Cup final that is perhaps overlooked too often.
The 33-year-old deserves a huge amount of respect, so the purpose of the argument is not to downplay all he’s done for the club.
However, at his age, Pope does not offer anything like a long-term solution. According to The Daily Mail, Newcastle are considering signing a new goalkeeper in a few months’ time anyway.
Which player do you regret selling more – Elliot Anderson or Yankuba Minteh?
Thanks, PSR 😡
Moving on from Pope was always going to be a big moment in this team’s development, both tactically and symbolically.
Pope has been a huge part of the Howe era, but is generally seen as more of an old-fashioned goalkeeper. The signing of a new stopper more comfortable on the ball in Ramsdale does give them another way of playing. James Trafford, of course, was the main target on that front earlier this summer and is much closer to Ramsdale than he is Pope in terms of style.
That is presumably what Howe wants from his team next season, too. That doesn’t mean it’ll be Ramsdale between the posts, just that a goalkeeper far more adept at playing out from the back seems reasonably likely to start for Newcastle next season.
The learning process has to begin at some point and Pope’s unconvincing form this season has sped that up. The upsides of playing a pure shot-stopper like Pope are less obvious now, given his series of high-profile mistakes.
With big games in the Champions League and FA Cup to come, Newcastle cannot afford another.
It would be both dramatic and disrespectful to suggest that Pope shouldn’t play for Newcastle again. Clearly, he can still play a big role in the squad, just not as a No.1.
In any other position, he could get a run out, but the nature of the goalkeeper means that is unlikely during a game.
For the rest of the season, however, Ramsdale should get the nod no matter if he stays beyond the extent of his loan deal this summer or not.
It has to happen at some point, so why not now?
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