England international Nick Pope has left relegated Burnley to sign for Eddie Howe’s Newcastle United, the club confirmed on June 23. The goalkeeper becomes the Magpies’ second signing of the summer after left-back Matt Targett from Aston Villa.
The Magpies have picked up the custodian from the relegated Clarets for an undisclosed fee, while the player himself has penned a four-year contract with the option to extend it by another 12 months. Pope, who has eight caps for the Three Lions on the international level, leaves Burnley after 155 appearances between 2016 and 2022.
Speaking to the club website, manager Howe commended the club’s drive to get the deal over the line, given that the interest in Pope was strong.
Howe stopped short of commenting whether the Englishman would be given the number one spot from next season, claiming that he is pleased to add competition in an important position. As it stands, the Magpies have Pope, Martin Dubravka, Karl Darlow, and Mark Gillespie fighting for the right to keep the goal.
“There has been a lot of interest in him from other clubs this summer, so I’d like to thank our owners and everyone behind the scenes for getting us ahead of the competition. I’m delighted he is joining us as we prepare for the exciting challenge ahead,”
Howe said.
Pope broke into the Burnley first team in 2017, a year after he joined from Charlton Athletic. An injury to the Clarets’ regular custodian Tom Heaton allowed the then 25-year-old to start a string of games, and strong performances saw him keep the place even when Heaton returned from his spell on the sidelines. Last season, Pope helped Burnley qualify for Europe with an unprecedented seventh-place finish in the league.
Pope drew interest from several other Premier League clubs over the years but stayed at Burnley, where he was named the club’s Player of the Year in 2017/18 and 2019/20. Additionally, the Englishman was named in the PFA Team of the Year for 2019/20.
