This article is part of Football League World’s ‘The Verdict‘ series, which provides personal opinions from the FLW writers regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…
Newcastle United have come to an agreement with Burnley over the signing of Nick Pope.
The goalkeeper is on the verge of joining the Magpies, according to Sky Sports.
Here we ask our FLW writers their verdict on if the 30-year old will make for a good addition to Eddie Howe’s side…
Simmey Hannifin-Donaldson
This is a fantastic signing for Newcastle.
Whilst Martin Dubravka is a solid Premier League keeper, adding Pope as competition means the Magpies have two really good options in-between the sticks ahead of next season.
Not only that, but the fee they are set to pay is an absolute bargain aat £8-10 million.
When you look at Pope's ability and experience, that is a steal considering the considerable transfer fees that have been forked out by Premier League clubs on goalkeepers in recent years.
Carla Devine
This is a good signing for Newcastle United. Nick Pope is a goalkeeper with plenty of experience and quality and although he’s now 30-years-old, he definitely has a lot of talent still to show.
With Freddie Woodman having made the move to Preston now and Karl Darlow also looking likely for an exit, the club are in need of another goalkeeper and Pope is one that can provide strong competition for the first place spot.
However, that in itself is going to be an interesting one to see play out. Dubravka is well liked in the Toon and his performances have generally been to a good standard so you would expect him to keep his spot in the squad as number one. However, with Pope pushing for a place in the England squad he will no doubt be prepared to challenge for the starting position.
It’s a good signing for a reasonable price in a position that Newcastle need though so fans will be happy with this one.
Josh Cole
With Newcastle currently on the lookout for a new goalkeeper who will be able to provide competition for Martin Dubravka, it could be argued that Nick Pope is the perfect fit for their squad.
Since joining Burnley in 2016, the 30-year-old has gained a wealth of Premier League experience as he has featured at this level on 141 occasions.
Keen to secure a place in England's squad for the World Cup, Pope could boost his chances of earning a spot if he goes on to produce a host of assured displays for Newcastle.
Providing that the Magpies are able to back up this move by drafting in some classy operators in the coming weeks, there is no reason why they cannot make a positive start to the 2022/23 campaign.