Newcastle United’s new era of wealth under their Saudi Arabian owners has brought fresh ambition and big spending – but Burnley’s £10m handover to Nick Pope looks like a shock.
Big money may have been spent elsewhere but few signings anywhere offer better value for money than the 30-year-old England keeper and he more than proved his worth as Newcastle moved closer to the major trophy that 1969. He has been deprived of them since.
History weighs heavily on Newcastle and their fanatical support, and since the sale of Mike Ashley, huge expectations have been added. They will now be strong favorites to reach the Carabao Cup final after Joelinton’s second-half goal earned them a narrow semi-final first leg victory at Southampton.
It’s been a long, agonizing wait since winning the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup, but hopes are rising that the long, barren years may be over, given the wild scenes of the Toon Army’s celebration at the final whistle.
And at the heart of it all was a brilliant Pope and a dogged defense that refuses to yield, providing a solid foundation for manager Eddie Howe’s rebuilding Newcastle side.
Pope’s shutout at Southampton, in which he made two crucial clean sheets against substitute Che Adams, means he now has an impressive record of 10 consecutive clean sheets in all competitions. According to Opta statistics dating back to August 2012, he became the first goalkeeper to achieve the feat with a Premier League team.
🔟 clean sheets in a row for @Popey1992!
— Newcastle United FC (@NUFC) January 24, 2023
Absolutely sensational 👏 pic.twitter.com/R4uPLeE8KI
He has kept 16 clean sheets in 24 games this season, the most of anyone else, with Manchester United’s David de Gea second on 12 in 27 games.
Pope exuded an air of confidence and assurance behind the Newcastle defence, and it was having an effect on the opposition strikers, as Adams was not accurate enough to tap the keeper’s outstretched left foot into Southampton’s best chance of the night. can defeat with
And to add to his impressive list of stats, Pope has not scored since Newcastle United’s last visit to St Mary’s on November 6, which ended in a 4-1 win for the visitors.
Newcastle team-mate Bruno Gomaris must have been giddy with victory when he described Pope as “the best goalkeeper in the world” in a post-match interview but there is no doubting that he is having a fantastic season.
Pope was in England’s World Cup squad in Qatar, where he was considered third choice behind Jordan Pickford and Aaron Ramsdale. Manager Gareth Southgate’s decision to stay put will keep Pickford, deservedly, in pole position but Pope is doing everything in his power to make his case.
