Leeds United are currently interested in Newcastle United and England goalkeeper Nick Pope as a potential replacement for Ilian Meslier in the upcoming Premier League season.
The signing of Nick Pope has become possible due to Newcastle‘s continuous interest in Burnley goalkeeper James Trafford. Burnley have valued Trafford at £30m following his stunning Championship promotion season, and will be expected to be Newcastle‘s first-choice keeper if the Magpies can complete the transfer.
Why are Leeds interested in Pope?
Despite Leeds United winning promotion with a 10-point gap to third, the season ended on a tense note. This was in no short way, partially because of the errors made by goalkeeper Ilian Meslier, costing the Whites precious points across the season.
The most notable of these errors came in October, when Meslier failed to prevent a safe header back from Leeds left-back Junior Firpo going in the net in the 97th minute, gifting Sunderland the equaliser in a top-of-the-table clash.
Further errors also came towards the end of the season in matches where Leeds should have won comfortably. Shots seemingly went through the keeper, and simple catches from corners were fumbled, leading to multiple points being dropped in extra time across the season.
According to Opta data, after all 46 matches were played, Leeds United had the lowest expected-goals-against in the Championship with an xGA of 0.89 per match. In spite of this, the Whites conceded 14 more goals than promotion rivals Burnley, who had 1.04 xGA.
Leeds fans will hope that Nick Pope, who has over 200 appearances in the Premier League, can bring the solidity that a newly promoted side needs to survive in a division where the disparity between bottom and top is wider than ever.
As the 33-year-old’s contract expires at the end of next season, the Championship victors might be able to strike a cheap deal for the keeper. This being said, Pope has spent significant periods on the sidelines for club and country in recent seasons with injuries to his shoulders and knees.
Leeds United had also previously shown interest in Liverpool backup keeper Caoimhin Kelleher, although that interest has left disappointment with Kelleher set to move to Brentford for £18m. Another possibility is Sheffield United’s Michael Cooper, who is likely to be seeking a Premier League move after an impressive season for the Blades.
Can Newcastle secure James Trafford?
Despite the possibility of a Nick Pope transfer becoming increasingly likely, it will hinge on Newcastle United‘s ability to sign a replacement.
A report from the Daily Mail has stated that a James Trafford move to Newcastle is “expected to be completed this summer”. Burnley value their keeper at £30m, and Newcastle are keen to secure the keeper before the 2025/26 Premier League season begins.
The move will be harder and more expensive for Newcastle to complete now that Burnley have completed promotion from the Championship. Nevertheless, the Clarets might find it hard to hold on to Trafford, who is expected by many to be England’s future number one, and has already experienced a tough relegation battle as the Burnley goalkeeper in 2024.
Newcastle are aware of the asking price; £30m could secure them England’s future starting goalkeeper in time for next season.
Will Burnley be able to find a replacement?
If Burnley do sell James Trafford to Newcastle United, then they will face an almost impossible challenge to replace him.
The difficulty in finding a goalkeeper is high, and Burnley will have to compete with Leeds United to find a replacement. It’s fairly viable that Nick Pope could be involved as a part of James Trafford‘s transfer, with the keepers heading to the other club.
Pope spent six years at Turf Moor, collecting over 150 appearances before moving to Newcastle. There is a strong possibility that he would prefer to move back to familiar ground, rather than moving to Leeds.
In addition to Leeds, Michael Cooper will also be on Burnley’s radar. Despite James Trafford keeping the best record in the Championship, multiple publications favoured Cooper in their Championship Team of the Season. This includes the Sky Bet Championship’s team of the season, as based on statistics from WhoScored.com.
