Recent reports claim that Newcastle United are planning to make a swoop for Burnley keeper, Nick Pope in the summer window. The 25-year-old has been one of the highlighting factors of Burnley’s impressive campaign and it will be hard to keep him happy as a second option.
Sean Dyche is set to get his captain, Tom Heaton back in the lineup over next couple of weeks and this would mean another stint on the cold benches at Turf Moor.
Pope has managed 9 clean sheets in his 24 Premier League appearances and has made an average of 3 saves per game. The entire defensive backline has been the backbone of Burnley’s success this season and Pope has been at the heart of it all.
It will be a heartbreak for the ex-Charlton Athletic keeper to return to a less influential role and Dyche might just be forced to choose his captain over Pope. If the keeper starts to express dissatisfaction and the Magpies come in with a favourable bid, Dyche will be forced to let go of the Soham-born shot-stopper.
However, Newcastle has just signed Martin Dubravka on a loan deal for the remainder of the season and the 29-year-old’s arrival can be made permanent for less than £4m. Dubravka put in a remarkable performance against Manchester United on 11th February to see his side through the 1-0 win at St. James’ Park. The 29-year-old looked unfazed by the constant battering from the United offence and made a huge save in the dying minutes.
The fans of Tyneside including Rafael Benitez was greatly impressed by Dubravka’s performance and this has sparked rumours that the Magpies will be looking to keep the player beyond May 2018.
United’s former first-team goalkeeper, Rob Elliot has been struggling with injuries for what seems like the entire season now and Karl Darlow was the second option to replace him. While Darlow impressed the majority of the times, he did have a few moments which were in the shades of grey. His late own goal denied Newcastle United a home win against Burnley on transfer deadline day and a match ended 1-1.
Freddie Woodman is also out on loan to Aberdeen for the rest of the season and Benitez will have to rely on Dubravka for the next few games.
The Magpies are staged on the 13th spot of the points table, just a couple of points away from the bottom three. Benitez is trying to see out his team through the first season in top-flight football and the defence will play a major part in the battle for survival. If Dubravka deal does end up falling through, he will have to sign a replacement in Pope. However, the 25-year-old might cost a bit more and that might come up as a red flag for Ashley Barnes.
