So many Newcastle United goalkeepers.
Nick Pope, Aaron Ramsdale, John Ruddy and Mark Gillespie all in the first team squad.
It isn’t quite as extreme as it may first look, as Mark Gillespie has been retained another season to do coaching stuff as I understand, plus also to help NUFC tick homegrown boxes for UEFA when it came to the Champions League.
Veteran keeper John Ruddy also similar to Gillespie, although additionally he has been third choice cover just in case.
However, reality has sadly been with Nick Pope and Aaron Ramsdale, that it has kind of ended up as a least worst choice to put it bluntly, which is no choice at all.
It isn’t that either of the pair have been terrible Newcastle United goalkeepers this season.
However, neither Nick Pope or Aaron Ramsdale have totally convinced, Pope with 32 starts and Ramsdale 22 in this mad busy season.
A solution though looks to be at hand.
With The Mail reporting that Newcastle United could be finally set to land James Trafford this summer: ‘It was previously thought a move for the England stopper was off the table after two failed attempts to sign him in 2024 and 2025. However, with Newcastle targeting a new No 1 as a priority and Trafford looking to leave Man City in search of regular football, his name is back on the list inside St James’ Park. That deal looked set to happen [in summer 2025] before Man City activated a clause to re-sign their former youth player for £27m, only to then sign Gianluigi Donnarumma and relegate Trafford to the bench. The Cumbrian felt like he had been misled and we understand he has now dropped the agency who brokered the move.’
James Trafford arrived at the Etihad last summer and became number one, started three Premier League matches but then hasn’t started another since August 2025, as Donnarumma was brought in over the top of him. Twelve starts in the knockout competitions for Man City but clearly Trafford desperate to be a number one keeper at a Premier League club…
The Mail adding: ‘Twelve months earlier, in 2024, Trafford was also ready to join Newcastle in an £18m deal before negotiations between sporting director Paul Mitchell and Burnley broke down. That lingering animosity, from Burnley’s side, did not help last summer. It would, then, be third time lucky for the Magpies, who have long since seen Trafford as the ideal profile for a Premier League goalkeeper. An asking price of £35-40m would unlikely be prohibitive, but it does mean stiff competition from home and abroad.’
The report adds that Newcastle United are also looking at other goalkeepers just in case they don’t finally land James Trafford. However, Eddie Howe finally looks set to get his man, hopefully!
It looks like a major overhaul ahead in terms of Newcastle United goalkeepers this summer.
My guesstimate is that James Trafford (or another) will come in as the new number one, Nick Pope will stay as back up, with Ramsdale, Ruddy and Gillespie no longer in the first team squad. Young up and coming keeper Max Thompson as third choice cover, out on loan at Ayr at the minute and he could go on another loan next season but with a recall emergency option.