This summer is likely to be a transformative one at Newcastle United.
Several players could leave on expiry of their contracts. I’m expecting some sales. This would leave plenty of gaps in the Newcastle United squad that will need filling.
I think one of the most important decisions is likely to involve goalkeepers. If we’re going to compete at the top, we need a top keeper. Teams don’t often win titles without one.
In a difficult season for the whole team, Nick Pope has possibly suffered more than any other. His shot stopping isn’t what it was, he makes the whole stadium nervous with the ball at his feet, he’s been unsure at corners and has committed a string of blunders.
Pope is joint top for errors leading to goals in the Premier League this season with three. This stat being all the more ‘impressive’ as he’s played 22 games and most of the keepers below him have played every game or just missed one or two. This is only the Premier League, his mistake against Marseille cost us in the Champions League too.
For me, Nick Pope’s career at Newcastle is coming to an end. He had a couple of brilliant seasons for us and played a huge part in some gargantuan wins and moments. However, he is a player on the decline. He’s not been the same since his shoulder injury and I can only see his performances continuing on the downward trajectory. He made some high profile errors earlier in the season and came out of the starting line up due to injury.
Since returning to the team there have been more questionable moments for our number one and the clanger against Everton must be his worst of the season. Despite that infamous assist for Beto, I was surprised to see Aaron Ramsdale in the United side for the Man U match. Pleasantly so but still surprised.
I have always really rated Aaron Ramsdale and when he came in my expectation was that he would need to be patient but would get the chance to be number one and would cling onto it, thereby having his permanent signing ratified and becoming our first choice keeper for years to come.
Things haven’t quite panned out like that. Although he did get that initial run in the team, he didn’t make a resounding case to keep his spot. There were no calamitous mistakes but many questioned whether he could have done better with some of the goals he conceded. I still would have liked him to have a longer run but Pope was restored as soon as he was available.
Now it’s Ramsdale’s place to lose once more. When he started against Man U, my initial thought was that regardless of his performance we should be letting him have his chance for the rest of the season. He happened to put in his best performance yet, which won’t have hurt his prospects. He made several excellent saves and his ability to take the ball in difficult situations alleviates so much pressure from the defence.
Ironically, I think Pope’s kicking has improved slightly in his recent games. He hasn’t just hoofed it out of touch every time it comes to him, however, Aaron Ramsdale is levels above with what he can do with his feet. Sometimes he’s a little too assured on the ball and I think some players need to get on his wavelength to avoid getting caught in possession when he plays it quickly to them. We’ve seen midfielders dispossessed a couple of times when the opponent has read Ramsdale’s pass and our player hasn’t reacted quickly enough. Time in the first team and working with players over an extended period will only help everyone’s understanding of each other.
Since that incredible and unlikely 10 man win against Carrick’s lot, and up until last night, we’d lost to Man City in the FA Cup, drawn with Barcelona and beaten Chelsea. Aaron Ramsdale hadn’t disgraced himself in any of those games and made a few decent saves. The win against Chelsea saw us record our first clean sheet for… wait for it… 15 matches (over a period of nearly two months!). It was his first since joining.
I originally sent this article in yesterday. It wasn’t published before the game, and I emailed the editor at full time so I could just add in a slight addendum.
I originally wrote that if Aaron Ramsdale concedes five goals against Barcelona that could see Nick Pope reinstated… but I changed that to, he may have a stinker in an upcoming game and that could see Pope reinstated… as I didn’t want to jinx anything.
Turns out I’d actually underestimated how many we could realistically ship against Barcelona. Even though seven went past him he also made six saves and was pretty exposed for every attempt that did beat him. He possibly could have done better with a couple but defensively we were torn to shreds.
If I had my way, I would keep Ramsdale in the team for the remainder of the season despite that walloping. I remember Shay Given had games where he shipped plenty of goals but was still one of our best players. The 5-1 loss against Liverpool in 2008 particularly sticks in the memory. He was undoubtedly our man of the match that day but still had five go past him.
I believe Pope will move on in the summer to a mid-table Premier League team. I know that’s what we technically are currently, but we aspire to more than that, we need an improved keeper to take us forward.
Whether Aaron Ramsdale can fill that role or not is yet to be seen but I don’t think we can fully judge him without an extended opportunity. He turns 28 this summer so should be continuing to improve his craft. He could have many years left at the top level. We have an option to make his move permanent, so why not see if he justifies it before we go hunting for an alternate keeper that may or may not be a success for us.
With a World Cup just months away and little competition behind Pickford and Henderson, there’s the prospect of one of our two capped keepers being on the plane. Trafford probably has a chance too, despite him barely playing and still not really proving himself at anything higher than Championship level (granted he did well against us). If we chop and change, it’s less likely either of our goalies will make the squad. If one remains for the rest of the season, especially if they perform extremely well and help us climb the table, there’s every chance they’ll be included.
Odysseas Vlachodimos is reportedly doing well on loan at Sevilla too. I haven’t seen anything of him so can’t comment on that but, considering he was second choice for Forest and then third choice for us (behind Pope and Dubravka last season and Pope and Ramsdale this season), I’m not sure Eddie Howe will bring him back as number one. The fact he’s performing may mean we get a half decent fee for him in the summer. Alternatively, he could come back and slot in as a solid number two (maybe not the best choice of words) and replace Pope if he does move on.
Aaron Ramsdale comes across as a likable bloke and a real team player. We haven’t heard any grumbles about his lack of opportunities. I remember him rushing out to Pope after the Benfica game, during which Pope had launched that magnificent throw to set Barnes off for his first goal. Ramsdale raced onto the pitch with a massive grin on his face and put his arm around Pope. He was chattering away to him excitedly; I assume praising that tremendous assist.
I’m not certain whether he is the answer and whether he deserves to have his signing made permanent but, without him getting a proper run in the team, we’ll never know. I’m sure we’re scouting options ahead of the summer and there may be a tremendous option on the continent that we can lure to be our Alisson/Raya type keeper that can take us to the next level. I don’t believe there are any realistic Premier League options that would be an upgrade on our current options and it’s hard to know how a keeper from abroad will adjust to the Premier League.
I hope we give Aaron Ramsdale the rest of the season and see what he can do. There will be lots of questions to answer in the summer but Ramsdale has the chance to resolve the goalkeeping one before the season ends.
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