Ranking Newcastle United’s options to replace Nick Pope | OneFootball

It's been a bit of an odd time for Newcastle United of late. On the pitch, the results have been coming, as highlighted by wins against Chelsea and Manchester United in the Premier League, which sandwiched an impressive away draw against Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League.

These positive displays, however, have been overshadowed by a number of serious injury issues. Heading into their 1-0 win over the Red Devils on Saturday 4th December, the Magpies were without the likes of Jacob Murphy, Dan Burn, Callum Wilson, Sean Longstaff, Sven Botman, Elliot Anderson, Joe Willock, Harvey Barnes, and Matt Targett. While Sandro Tonali can't play either, due to his ten-month ban due to illegal betting charges from the Italian Football Federation.

Eddie Howe and co deserved all three points in their narrow but comfortable 1-0 win over Man United but couldn't get through the 90 minutes without suffering another major setback. Indeed, goalkeeper Nick Pope came off during the game and it has since been reported that he could miss up to five months of action with a dislocated shoulder.

The only slither of good fortune is that the January transfer market is less than a month away, meaning Newcastle can look to sign a replacement in the near future. With that being the case, at GIVEMESPORT we have decided to rank all the best options below. We will do so, by looking at the quality of the goalkeeper, their availability, and the realisticness of the deal.

7 Loris Karius

Loris Karius is a name that will still send shivers down the spine of any Liverpool fans after his misfortune in the 2018 Champions League final. However, he is still only 30 years old and has been on the Newcastle United books since September 2022.

Since arriving, he has played just one game for the Magpies. Incredibly, that came in the Carabao Cup final defeat to Manchester United last season. He conceded two goals on the day and his lack of minutes since suggests that he's not a realistic option to replace Pope.

6 Lukasz Fabianski

With their main man between the sticks out for around five months, it's not as though Newcastle necessarily need to spend big money on a long-term option. This could even cause problems down the line when Pope returns to fitness and the club suddenly have too many players for one position in the squad.

To avoid this, they could look to sign Lukasz Fabianski from West Ham United on a loan or a short-term contract. He has lost his spot to Alphonse Areola, so maybe looking for more regular game time. But the 38-year-old isn't past it just yet, with four starts, two clean sheets and only two goals conceded in the Europa League this term. Last season, he kept 10 league clean sheets in 36 outings, conceding 48 goals.

5 Martin Dúbravka

Sometimes, the best option in football is to look to internal solutions. In Martin Dúbravka, it shouldn't be forgotten that Newcastle already have the man who wears the number one shirt. The 34-year-old was a reliable shot-stopper before Pope arrived to take his spot and isn't the worst option to have.

He came on against the Red Devils after Pope's injury and did just fine – but this was just his third league appearance across the past two seasons. If the Magpies want a cost-effective option, and one that won't take any time to integrate into the team, Dúbravka is ready and waiting. Alt

4 Hugo Lloris

Along the same lines as Fabianski, 36-year-old Hugo Lloris would bring plenty of Premier League experience to Newcastle as a short-term option between the sticks. He is still technically a Tottenham Hotspur player but hasn't even made the bench for any of their games this term.

That rustiness would be a concern but his pedigree is right up there with the best when it comes to options on the market right now. After all, Lloris has won the World Cup with France and has played 444 times for Spurs, captaining them up until last season as he started 25 league matches, conceding 39 goals and keeping seven clean sheets.

3 Keylor Navas

Another veteran option who could be available this winter without too many issues, Keylor Navas is currently at Paris Saint-Germain but can't get a game. The 36-year-old has mostly had to settle for a spot on the bench, with Gianluigi Donnarumma the first choice.

Navas' loan to Nottingham Forest last term – he played 17 times and helped them avoid the drop as he made 51 saves – showed a willingness to give English football a try and a move to a club at the other end of the table might be even more appealing to the Costa Rican. Navas would surely be an upgrade on the likes of Dubravka and Karius.

David de Gea has already been named as a possible target for the Magpies in Mail Sport. After leaving Man United in the summer, he remains a free agent and so could, in theory, come in immediately, without having to wait until the January market opens.

His Premier League experience makes him an attractive option. However, there are downsides. First of all, he is a free agent for a reason. Indeed, he fell out of favour at Old Trafford as he wasn't comfortable with the ball at his feet and his shot-stopping ability did seem less consistent in his final season or so. What's more, his huge wages would also be a potential stumbling block – he was on £375,000 per week during his final contract with the Red Devils.

Still, we all know Newcastle have pretty deep pockets and they also wouldn't have to worry about a transfer fee. What's more, Pope isn't exactly great with the ball at his feet either, so De Gea wouldn't be asked to do anything majorly different in terms of style of play. Add to that the fact that he won the Golden Glove last term with 17 clean sheets, all this makes him our second favourite to take the role.

1 Aaron Ramsdale

It's no secret that Aaron Ramsdale could have his eyes on a new club this winter. After all, he lost his spot at Arsenal to David Raya and doesn't appear likely to win it back any time soon. And yet, he didn't do anything majorly wrong and so remains a well-regarded goalkeeper.

With that being the case, it would be an ambitious move from the Magpies to try and sign the Englishman from their rivals, and would also likely cost a lot in terms of a transfer fee – £60m has been touted if he was to leave in the summer. Ramsdale, however, is an upgrade on Pope, when it comes to passing and playing out from the back. So if Howe wanted to develop the team in that sense, this could be the perfect opportunity to upgrade on their current goalkeeper.

Ramsdale's age (he is six years younger than 31-year-old Pope) and potential availability on the market make him our number-one option for the Magpies. He's also a homegrown England international. The only major issue is the high transfer fee Arsenal would likely demand. Still, with 14 clean sheets in the league last season (the same as Pope), he may well be worth the money.