It takes a unique personality to be a Premier League goalkeeper – but when it comes to management, the position poses it’s own set of problems.
Selection issues are part and parcel of every manager’s weekly challenges, but who plays between the sticks is a different situation. After all, there can be only one, so no get-out options of playing anyone out of position or tweaking formations to keep everyone happy.
For Eddie Howe and Newcastle United, it’s an issue which has come to the fore due to injuries and now form. Nick Pope has long been the established No 1 in all but shirt number, with Martin Dubravka twice looking as though his career on Tyneside was over. But as we prepare for the Carabao Cup final and a crucial Premier League run-in, it’s the Slovakian who holds the gloves.
Pope did return to the side briefly, but some rusty performances opened the door for Dubravka to take over against Brighton last weekend. Will Pope come back at West Ham, and what about Wembley? And will the picture change enitrely in the summer transfer window? Here’s what our team of NUFC writers make of the situation.
Lee Ryder
We definitely have not witnessed the best side of Nick Pope in recent weeks with the knee injury he suffered in December really affecting his season. In the summer, after a full pre-season, Pope was in decent form at the start of the campaign before disaster struck at Brentford. Martin Dubravka more than took his chance over the winter months and his probably in the box seat for the Carabao Cup final.
Pope had his chance to impress but was thrown in at the deep end. What happens in the summer is now critical to either Pope or Dubravka’s future and I can see one of them heading out the door regardless of contract situations. It’s hard to see Pope, at 32, hanging around if money is spent on a new younger stopper like James Trafford. Newcastle need to keep up the Jones’ when it comes to having a dynamic stopper like Alisson at Liverpool or Ederson at Man City.
Trafford would make sense but if Newcastle wanted to go for one of Europe’s best, in terms of a realistic alternative, how about Napoli’s Alex Meret? Or Espanyol’s former Spain U21 star Joan Garcia who both Arsenal and Man United have an eye on?
Whatever the decision, the keeper department is in dire need of a rejig. Odysseas Vlachodimos has been a flop given he can’t even get in the team for cup games and Dubravka is 36. Newcastle need to look longer-term.
Ciaran Kelly
I felt it was harsh for Martin Dubravka to be dropped last month – the Newcastle goalkeeper had at least earned another start against Nottingham Forest – and a change in shot-stopper did not exactly solve the Magpies’ issues at the back.
There is no doubt that Nick Pope, on his day, is capable of some incredible saves that Geordies need no reminding of, but the veteran is clearly rediscovering his rhythm after only playing 22 games in the last 15 months. That’s why Dubravka edges it for me and should keep his place after coming back in last week.
Going forward, Newcastle need a heavyweight goalkeeper who combines the best of Pope and Dubravka’s qualities and this season has served as a reminder of why the club made a play for James Trafford, who, in the right hands, looks a future England number one.
Aaron Stokes
If Nick Pope had started against Brighton, I’d be making the case for him retaining his place until the final. However, since Martin Dubravka (rightly) got the nod for the FA Cup clash, he must now keep his spot. It is all about building momentum and ensuring whoever is going to be chosen for the Wembley showpiece is not going into that crucial game cold.
I was surprised to see Pope come back in for Dubravka last month but at least expected Newcastle’s long-serving No 1 to offer his usual stability in games against Nottingham Forest and Liverpool. Instead, we saw a shaky stopper who did not look comfortable on his belated return to action.
Dubravka, on the other hand, at least looked more assured as Newcastle faced Brighton – even if the game saw the Magpies crash out of the FA Cup. For that reason, I’d like to see the Slovakian play at West Ham and in next weekend’s big one.
As for the future, it’s clear neither Pope or Dubravka are the long-term answer as they both reach the business end of their careers. Go out and spend big on James Trafford – a goalkeeper who can see you through the next 5-10 years, with ease, if he continues his upward trajectory between the sticks.
Ross Gregory
It’s always difficult – and dangerous – to write off a player, especially as they come back from injury. A lengthy absence can take a while to recover from, even when they are back fit. Nick Pope has had his injury issues over the last year or so, and it’s fair to say he has looked short on form and confidence since he returned against Forest.
Two games later, he’s left out of the side for the Brighton game and Martin Dubravka is recalled. It was the right decision. While I think Pope is – or has been – the better keeper of the two, it is too much of a risk ahead of the cup final to play him and hope he can shake off the ring rust.
Dubravka signed a new deal last month but that should only have been so that United don’t lose him for free in the summer. Neither he, nor Pope, are going to take Newcastle on to that next level. That’s the brutality of this game. Eddie Howe needs a new goalkeeper, knows he needs one, and has been looking at one in particular – James Trafford – for the best part of 18 months.
Whether Newcastle pay the £30m Burnley would want for him in the summer remains to be seen. I’d personally be looking at Liverpool’s Caoimhin Kelleher as an alternative. But for now, Dubravka has to be the No.1.
Stuart Jamieson
I remember being surprised when Newcastle signed Nick Pope back in 2022. Surely there were other areas of the team which needed more immediate attention? However, it didn’t take long to realise why they had brought him to the club, and the fourth-place finish that season said it all.
I have always been a big fan of Martin Dubravka, but the fact is Pope helped take the side up a level. For me, nothing has changed to suggest he shouldn’t be still No 1. Yes, he has looked rusty, but that sharpness is not going to return sitting on the bench. In fairness, Dubravka has done little wrong, but I would recall Pope and stick with him.
Looking further ahead, it feels like a summer addition could be on the cards, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see Pope leave as part of the transfer window dealings. Goalkeepers have a longer career but he needs to be playing regularly at his age, and any new competition will only push him down the pecking order. I would be tempted to sign Brighton’s Bart Verbruggen if the price is right.
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