Nick Pope is confident that he can win his place in the Newcastle United team back, despite summer signing Lukas Hornicek becoming the new No. 1.
According to a report by Football Insider, Pope is not losing hope of reclaiming his No. 1 spot at Newcastle United and remains confident of doing so ahead of summer signing Lukas Hornicek. The experienced goalkeeper is yet to play a single minute under Matthias Jaissle, but he may stay and fight for his place.
Pope has been a mainstay in the project under former boss Eddie Howe since joining Newcastle United in 2022 for £10 million. He has featured in 131 games across all competitions, including the Champions League, but has now found himself lower in the pecking order since the start of the new campaign.
Newcastle United went through a major revamp in several positions and also appointed Matthias Jaissle as their new manager following Howe’s departure. They signed Lukas Hornicek and Ewen Jaouen as their new goalkeepers, which cast doubt over Pope’s immediate prospects, leaving him effectively third choice.
The Englishman has been named as the second-choice goalkeeper for a few games so far because of Jaouen’s injury, but Hornicek is clearly Jaissle’s No. 1 choice for the campaign. The new signing has already shown enough to justify that decision, although Pope is not losing hope of winning his place back.
Nick Pope to stay and fight
After Newcastle United signed Jaouen and Hornicek in the summer, Pope was expected to leave the club but ended up staying beyond the window. He had suitors in the market, with Ipswich Town keen at one stage, while Celtic were also reportedly linked with a move. However, neither came to fruition.
Pope remains committed despite the lack of game time, and it is suggested that the veteran Newcastle United star is ready to fight for his place. The Englishman believes he will take any chance that comes his way to force the issue with Jaissle, and that could depend on Hornicek losing form or picking up an injury in the months ahead.
On paper, the veteran Newcastle United star is in the final year of his deal at St. James’ Park, and a January exit could be possible, or he could leave as a free agent next summer. Despite his desire to fight for his place and win the No. 1 shirt back, the chances of overtaking Hornicek appear slim at this stage.
