In a recent report, The Sun claimed that Everton have identified Newcastle United custodian Nick Pope as a target. It is believed that the Toffees are eyeing the English keeper as a replacement for Jordan Pickford.
Pope’s Injury Ravaged Season At Newcastle
Pope endured an injury-plagued campaign at the Tyneside club recently but managed to put in a string of impressive displays for them in Premier League football. The 32-year-old made 21 appearances for the Magpies last season, conceding 21 goals and keeping eight clean sheets in all competitions.
The experienced keeper deserves some credit for averaging 1.1 clearances and 3.1 long balls per 90 minutes in the Premier League. However, he lacked quality when distributing possession from the back after making just 71.1% of his attempted passes in the top tier of English football (stats via whoscored).
His current contract at the Tyneside club will run out in the summer of 2026. Hence, Everton could potentially sign him on a cut-price deal at the end of this campaign.
Should Everton Boss Sean Dyche Get Pope On Board?
Pope is a solid handler of the ball and can use his quick reflexes to make a few important saves for his team. He has got a wealth of experience in the Premier League and can still be a safe pair of hands in between the sticks when he is playing regularly on the field.
However, the English sensation struggled to stay injury-free last season and is currently entering the twilight years of his playing career. Hence, he won’t be a long-term fix to Everton‘s goalkeeping problems. Plus, he needs to find a way to improve his ball distribution from the back.
Still, Sean Dyche knows Pope well from their time together at Burnley and could be the ideal man to get the best out of the veteran keeper. Thus, the Toffees would be wise to go all out to get him on board this January or at the end of this season.
At 32, Pope might still have a few good years left in him and could prove to be a decent option for the Merseyside club in the short term. Therefore, Dyche should focus on getting a deal done for the English custodian next year.
