Newcastle United is currently missing a player who used to perform ‘unbelievable’ feats in training.
That is the opinion of Everton defender James Tarkowski, who was interviewed on the latest episode of ‘Fozcast – The Ben Foster Podcast’ about his former Burnley teammate Nick Pope.
Tarkowski and Pope were teammates at Burnley under Sean Dyche, but both left after the Clarets were relegated to the Championship in 2022.
Despite rumors of a move to Tyneside, Tarkowski accepted a free transfer to Everton. Pope, meanwhile, moved to the North East to join Newcastle United in a £10 million deal.
There was little hoopla when Pope joined the Magpies, with many fans content with Martin Dubravka in goal.
Pope, on the other hand, swiftly established himself as the primary pick, winning over fans with several amazing performances. Tarkowski believes he was a significant component in Newcastle qualifying for the Champions League last season, and his recent form at St James’ Park comes as no surprise.
Nick Pope used to astound Jame Tarkowski.
Tarkowski praised Pope on ‘Fozcast – The Ben Foster Podcast’ for how good he used to be in training when they were both at Burnley.
“Popey. Creature. “It’s just a big creature,” he explained.
“If you spent a day with him, you’d think he’s a huge creature!” Some of what he used to do in training was incredible.
“The amount of times you’d shoot and think goal and then you’d turn away and you’d hear ‘what a save’ and Popey has his big limbs sticking out to the side and saving it.”
Newcastle are now missing Nick Pope.
Pope is a ‘creature,’ to put it mildly. It comes just days after Ben Foster referred to Anthony Gordon as a ‘rat’ in a good way.
Newcastle, on the other hand, is currently without their ‘monster,’ since Pope is on the Magpies’ unusually long injury list.
The 31-year-old had shoulder surgery earlier this month after dislocating his shoulder during the 1-0 victory over Manchester United at St James’ Park. He will now be out for the next few months.
Martin Dubravka has taken his place between the posts in his absence. He has struggled since his return to the team, prompting rumors that Newcastle may recruit a goalkeeper in January.
Although David De Gea has been heavily linked, it would be surprising if the Magpies did not buy a goalkeeper next month.
