While Eddie Howe puts his foot down regarding Alexander Isak going to Arsenal, he has an eye on a player going the other way.
We hinted at it yesterday that Newcastle still retained an interest in Arsenal goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale, and today The Daily Mail have backed up that theory by reporting that the 25-year-old England 'keeper remains on Eddie Howe's wish list.
Yesterday it was reported that another goalkeeping target, Alexander Nubel is now likely to stay at Bayern Munich, but Newcastle will be on the lookout for a new goalkeeper this summer with Loris Karius set to depart.
Add to that the fact that Martin Dubravka isn't exactly inspiring confidence in Nick Pope's absence, then it makes sense that Howe would be looking to improve his options.
Nick Pope has had his critics as well given that he never really looks comfortable with the ball at his feet, but we'd have him back in a heartbeat right now. At least he comes off his line and helps out his defenders.
Aaron Ramsdale has found himself on the bench for most of this season as Mikel Arteta has gone with on-loan David Raya as his number-one choice between the sticks. Given his performances this season, it's now expected that his loan from Brentford will be made permanent at the end of the season.
As a result, Ramsdale is likely to want to move to a club where he will be starting regularly.
Newcastle are looking to bring in a younger 'keeper as they build for the future and with Ramsdale a good few years younger than Nick Pope who turns 32 this year, the interest makes sense.
The two big issues standing in Newcastle's way will be whether Ramsdale will be guaranteed to start over Pope - he's not going to want to move to another club only to find himself in the same boat as he's in at Arsenal, and the other will be Arsenal's asking price.
Ramsdale moved to the Emirates for £30million in 2021 and it's unlikely the Gunners will be looking to make a loss on that deal, so, for now, it's a game of wait-and-see, but we'd love to see Ramsdale in goal for Newcastle next season.
PL | GD | PTS | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
1 |
Liverpool
|
7 | 11 | 18 |
2 |
Manchester City
|
7 | 9 | 17 |
3 |
Arsenal
|
7 | 9 | 17 |
4 |
Chelsea
|
7 | 8 | 14 |
5 |
Aston Villa
|
7 | 3 | 14 |
6 |
Brighton
|
7 | 3 | 12 |
7 |
Newcastle United
|
7 | 1 | 12 |
8 |
Fulham
|
7 | 2 | 11 |
9 |
Tottenham Hotspur
|
7 | 6 | 10 |
10 |
Nottingham Forest
|
7 | 1 | 10 |
11 |
Brentford
|
7 | 0 | 10 |
12 |
West Ham United
|
7 | -1 | 8 |
13 |
Bournemouth
|
7 | -2 | 8 |
14 |
Manchester United
|
7 | -3 | 8 |
15 |
Leicester
|
7 | -3 | 6 |
16 |
Everton
|
7 | -8 | 5 |
17 |
Ipswich
|
7 | -8 | 4 |
18 |
Crystal Palace
|
7 | -5 | 3 |
19 |
Southampton
|
7 | -11 | 1 |
20 |
Wolves
|
7 | -12 | 1 |