Forget James Trafford: Newcastle’s perfect new goalkeeper target is obvious as Leeds United close in
Newcastle appear to have abandoned the idea of signing James Trafford - so which goalkeeper should they target in the transfer window?
For the second summer in a row, Newcastle have entered the transfer window with the intention of finding a successor to first-choice goalkeeper Nick Pope – and for the second summer in a row, doing so isn’t proving to be all that straightforward.
Last year, the Magpies loaned Aaron Ramsdale but the former Arsenal goalkeeper was only able to keep Pope out of the line-up periodically. This year, meanwhile, the club’s recruitment team appear to be hesitating as they work to find the right man for the job.
Newcastle had been expected to make a bid for Manchester City’s James Trafford, but they have not reacted to the start of negotiations with Leeds United and transfer journalist David Ornstein now reports that the Magpies have decided to drop their interest. That leaves an obvious and currently open question: What now?
The goalkeepers on Newcastle’s radar with James Trafford off the menu
While several names have been mentioned in the gossip columns in recent weeks, two names have cropped up far more frequently – and more plausibly – than the rest: Brighton & Hove Albion’s Carl Rushworth and Parma’s Zion Suzuki.
Rushworth spent last season on loan at Championship title winners Coventry City and impressed sufficiently that he’s likely to earn a significant move this summer. The Sky Blues, who kept 17 clean sheets in 46 games with him between the sticks last year, want him back but have struggled to agree a deal so far.
A report in Brighton-based newspaper The Argus suggests that a second offer of £25m has been turned down. That at least gives Newcastle an initial ballpark figure should they decide that Rushworth makes sense as their new number one target.
Suzuki, meanwhile, will be familiar to fans who watched Japan’s matches during the World Cup. The American-born stopper has been outstanding for his country since establishing himself in the Japanese national team and his lighting-fast reflexes have impressed plenty of observers during his two seasons in Italy with Parma.
Aged just 23, Suzuki has been the Serie A side’s first choice for two seasons and seems likely to earn a big move this summer – not only are Newcastle purportedly keen, but Leeds were also considering a bid before opting to make the effort to sign Trafford instead, while Aston Villa have him earmarked as a possible replacement for Emiliano Martínez should he leave this summer. If Newcastle do make a bid for Suzuki (the asking price is expected to be in the range of £25-30m) then they could face competition.
Other names mentioned in the gossip columns include Borussia Mönchengladbach’s Mortiz Nicolas and Freiburg’s Noah Atubolu, although neither story seems to have legs – Mönchengladbach sporting director Rouven Schröder has denied that there has been contact from Newcastle over Nicolas, while The Chronicle’s Lee Ryder has dismissed the link with Atubolu. Both stories originated with German tabloid Bild, which has a distinctly hit-or-miss reputation for its transfer reporting.
As it stands, Rushworth and Suzuki appear to be the two most likely targets if Newcastle do decide that it’s time to move on from the 34-year-old Pope, who is entering the final year of his contract. They may have a surprise up their sleeve, of course, but if these are the main candidates, which makes more sense for the Magpies?
Why Suzuki makes the most sense if Newcastle move on from Nick Pope
The underlying statistics behind Rushworth’s performances for Coventry last year were highly impressive and it’s easy to see why he’s generated considerable interest this summer – and why Brighton have allegedly rejected an offer which went up to £25m for him.
A 73% save percentage is first rate and compared to the expected goals value of the shots on target that he faced, he prevented an estimated 6.75 goals more than the average goalkeeper would have done in his shoes. All the evidence suggests that he is an outstanding shot stopper.
In other parts of his game though, there are flaws. He can be timid when claiming high balls into the box and his distribution, although not remarkably poor, is not exceptional and he lacks the accuracy to complete a high percentage of passes into the opposing box.
His long-range passing is better than Pope’s, but that’s been a key criticism of the experienced former Burnley man over the past few years – his distribution is poor by Premier League standards, and one of the key reasons to move on from Pope is to find a goalkeeper who can start moves with his passing. In that regard, Rushworth would make a somewhat curious choice.
Suzuki, on the other hand, has strong distribution – a 38% completion rate on long balls is well above average – and has the physicality and confidence to be dominant in the air. He seldom gets lost underneath a cross, and provides the base for counter-attacks that Newcastle have been missing.
The trade off is that there are still doubts about his positioning and his ability to make the volume of saves required. His reflexes and ability to make reaction stops are outstanding but he can get caught standing in the wrong spot – the result is a promising save percentage of 70% in Serie A last season, despite which he conceded more goals than he ‘should’ have based on the xG model. Not by much, but the question mark is there.
Still, the combination of improved distribution, strength in the air and the potential to grow through his faults suggest that Suzuki could well be a worthy replacement for Pope – and he is stronger than Rushworth in several areas which have been a frustration for Newcastle over the years. He may well also prove to be cheaper. We’ll find out which direction Newcastle go in very soon.