Latest news with #OdysseasVlachodimos
New York Times
2 days ago
- Sport
- New York Times
Newcastle already have five goalkeepers, so why are they trying to sign a sixth?
No Premier League club employed more senior goalkeepers than Newcastle United in 2024-25 and, like serial hoarders, they are looking to employ another. It is a peculiar quirk for a position that does not encourage frequent rotation and for a team that has struggled to buy anybody recently. And it is not just anybody they are trying to buy. James Trafford is Eddie Howe's first-choice target as No 1, a player whose reputation — and valuation — has risen sharply with Burnley's promotion from the Championship. There have been informal talks between the clubs, but Newcastle, who are keen to avoid paying inflated fees, have alternative options. Advertisement At the last count, they also had five established goalkeepers already on their books. Nick Pope, who is Howe's current first choice, has played 221 times in the Premier League and has 10 England caps. Martin Dubravka has started 160 league games for Newcastle and has made 53 appearances for Slovakia. Dubravka is actually the official Newcastle No 1 in that he wears that shirt number, whereas Pope, who wears 22 on his back, is officially the actual No 1. All clear so far? Take a deep breath, because we're just getting started… Odysseas Vlachodimos cost Newcastle £20million ($27.2m), the most they've ever spent on a goalkeeper and which puts him 14th on the list of the club's record signings, according to Transfermarkt. This is despite them not specifically needing the Greece international, who arrived from Nottingham Forest last summer. He has made one substitute appearance for the club, against AFC Wimbledon in the Carabao Cup. John Ruddy also arrived last summer, a much-travelled veteran of 38 who has played for England and 15 teams, most notably Norwich City, Birmingham City and Wolverhampton Wanderers. Rounding off the list is Mark Gillespie, a 33-year-old Geordie living out his boyhood dream, who has 241 senior league appearances behind him. It is quite a number, quite a group and, on the face of it, quite perplexing given that, in the season just gone, Newcastle had no European football to contend with and therefore fewer opportunities for playing time. In any case, Howe is a head coach who values consistency of team selection. Chopping and changing is not for him. Five into one doesn't go. Six into one even more so. Yet Newcastle's stance both represents the changing face of modern goalkeeping and also has a weird kind of logic, albeit some of the situation is outside their control. There is a strategy involved, beyond the scattergun. Advertisement Howe loves Pope, who he signed from Burnley for £10m in June 2022. At 6ft 6in, the goalkeeper is a commanding presence, he can dominate his area, sweep up well and is a fine shot-stopper. He is less adept with his feet than his hands and in an era of playing out from the back, this is a weakness. He is also 33 and has missed 40 matches over the past two seasons with shoulder and knee injuries. Dubravka has been a fine deputy, but he does not want to be a deputy. He came close to leaving Newcastle last winter, waving a tearful farewell to supporters after the 2-0 Carabao victory at Arsenal on January 7. At that point, Pope was injured and Dubravka, who had been nearing a move to Al Shabab in Saudi Arabia, was playing and playing well. On February 20, Newcastle announced that Dubravka had signed a new contract. In other circumstances, Dubravka would have left and Vlachodimos stepped up, but Howe had told the man nicknamed 'Ody' that he could leave Tyneside not long after his arrival, an opportunity that was declined. Effectively, Vlachodimos was a pawn in Newcastle's scramble to hit their financial targets — the Premier League's dreaded Profit and Sustainability Rules (PSR). Failure to do so would have led to a hefty points deduction. With the June 30, 2024, deadline pressing, Newcastle agreed to sell Yankuba Minteh to Brighton for £30million and Elliot Anderson to Nottingham Forest for a similar amount, but with Vlachodimos moving in the opposite direction and at a paper cost of £20m, thereby assisting Forest's own PSR position. Vlachodimos had not featured on any Newcastle scouting report. A further complication was that an agreement was already in place for Ruddy to arrive on a one-year contract as Newcastle's No 3 'keeper. Vastly experienced in the Premier League and below, Ruddy would push standards in training and play in an emergency. Advertisement Even after Ruddy and Vlachodimos joined, Howe attempted to sign Trafford, but a fee could not be agreed. Trafford later told Ben Foster's podcast that Newcastle 'was a good fit for me… I really believed in it. I wanted to move'. Gillespie had previously filled the No 3 role, signing from Motherwell in 2020 to be behind Dubravka and Karl Darlow, who is now at Leeds United. Gillespie had been a No 1 for most of his career, but as he told The Athletic last year, 'You're an injury away from being on the bench and once you're on the bench, you're a heartbeat away from actually playing. It was an easy decision.' In the early days, Gillespie was regularly an unused substitute in the Premier League. He played three games in the League Cup. But when Dubravka left on loan to Manchester United and Darlow damaged his ankle in 2022, Newcastle brought in Loris Karius, who made his debut in the Carabao Cup final in 2023. Then Ruddy arrived. As Gillespie admitted: 'For where the club wants to be and with the resources we have, there's no reason to take a risk anywhere. I haven't had that exposure in the Premier League, which I totally understand.' But Gillespie's role is unique. He treats every day like matchday. He trains with energy, aggression and enthusiasm, lifting players who might be jaded or fatigued. He constantly makes himself available for shooting drills, set-piece practice, one-on-one sessions, the unglamorous stuff that some goalkeepers might deem beneath them, but he never complains. Howe has told Newcastle's in-house TV station that Gillespie's 'attitude to training is ridiculous every day'. He recently signed a one-year contract extension. Talks are ongoing with Ruddy for a similar deal and similar things apply. The No 3 role is not one for sulkers or moaners, but he motivates and cajoles Pope and Dubravka, his leadership is valued in the dressing room, and he addresses standards. He is a big personality. He knows and accepts he is very unlikely to play, but if required, he has the hinterland. Advertisement If Trafford, who is 22, does end up joining Newcastle, that experience of Ruddy's is viewed as vital in terms of being a role model. So, you may ask, why couldn't Vlachodimos do this? Because a No 3 role is specialist. Ruddy has been there and done it and understands exactly what is expected of him. Vlachodimos has a lovely disposition but is quiet. Perhaps more importantly, he wants to play. And, should they get there, he wants to play for Greece at next summer's World Cup. He does not see himself as a No 3. Could he motivate others without motivation himself? In an ideal world, Newcastle would sell, but they cannot accept a significant loss on a £20million player because it would negatively affect their PSR situation. So even though there is no realistic pathway for Vlachodimos to Newcastle's first team, he is more likely to leave on loan. What about Dubravka? He is again moving towards the exit door, although after going through the angst of last winter, Howe would, as usual, want to have a replacement lined up first. This brings us back to Trafford, who fits in with Newcastle's desire to lower the age profile of their squad and also with their desire for more quality. The plan here conforms to what they did with Tino Livramento and Lewis Hall two years ago, when they signed two young players for full-back positions that were already filled. Now both are integral. Initially, Pope and Trafford would vie for the first XI role, but Trafford is the future. Pope has been linked with Leeds United, but at this stage, Newcastle are adamant they will not sell him, even if Trafford arrives. The problem is Burnley, who are reported to value Trafford in the £30m-£40m bracket; for context, £30m is the most ever paid for an English goalkeeper, a distinction that belongs to Jordan Pickford and Aaron Ramsdale. Multiple sources at Newcastle have told The Athletic they are unwilling to spend this much; they have previously scouted Joan Garcia, who is now moving from Espanyol to Barcelona, and retain an interest in Lille's Lucas Chevalier. Advertisement If you want to throw in a couple of wild cards — or add to the general complexity — Newcastle's recruitment staff briefly discussed re-signing Tim Krul and Fraser Forster, their former 'keepers, to meet UEFA's homegrown quota now that the Champions League beckons once more. They now believe they will have the necessary depth without them. At this rate, Newcastle's cohort of goalkeepers will need their own bus to ferry them to away matches. The real pity is that the versatility Howe prizes so highly does not apply here; it would be pretty handy if one could play at right wing and another at centre-half.
Times
4 days ago
- Business
- Times
Newcastle open talks to sign James Trafford as competition to Nick Pope
Newcastle have opened negotiations with Burnley about the transfer of the England goalkeeper James Trafford to St James' Park. The 22-year-old Trafford is the No 1 target for the Newcastle head coach Eddie Howe. An agreement has not yet been reached, however, about the size of the fee, with Burnley keen to receive a record figure for an England goalkeeper of £30 million. Newcastle would prefer the initial fee to be lower. The potential deal has been complicated by the fact that Manchester City, who sold the 6ft 6in goalkeeper to Burnley in 2023, are entitled to a sell-on clause, thought to be 20 per cent. They also retain a buy-back option as part of the deal that took Trafford to Turf Moor for an initial fee of £15million. However, it is not thought they will contest Newcastle for the player's signature. Trafford, who was born in Carlisle, almost signed for Newcastle last summer and admitted recently on the Ben Foster Podcast (Fozcast) that it would have been a 'brilliant' move for him. The transfer then was derailed late on because Newcastle were so hamstrung by the Premier League's Profit and Sustainability Rules (PSR) that they had to sign another goalkeeper, Odysseas Vlachodimos, from Nottingham Forest to facilitate the sale of Elliot Anderson to the City Ground. Vlachodimos did not start a game for Newcastle last season. Howe instead wants Trafford and Nick Pope, who will be 34 in April next year, to compete for the No1 spot at St James' Park next season. Trafford, at 22, would help Newcastle lower the average age of their squad. Newcastle will compete in four competitions next season after their qualification for the Champions League and the club is keen to begin a disciplined summer of spending after a period of sales to sidestep any potential Premier League points penalty for breaking PSR rules. Newcastle have sold four first-team players in the last two transfer windows and the £25 million departures of Miguel Almirón and Lloyd Kelly helped alleviate another repeat of last June when Anderson and Yankuba Minteh had to be sold. Trafford recorded 29 clean sheets in the Championship as Burnley gained promotion back to the Premier League. He was included in his squad by Thomas Tuchel for England's internationals against Andorra and Senegal. It is thought Bournemouth, Aston Villa and Arsenal had all shown varying levels of interests in Trafford before his likely departure from Burnley, but it is Newcastle in pole position with negotiations continuing.
