Newcastle United's Aaron Ramsdale pursuit means one thing as Eddie Howe calls time on three-year absence

Newcastle appear to have accepted defeat in their two-year pursuit of James Trafford with Manchester City and Pep Guardiola exercising a 'matching clause' in the goalkeeper's Burnley contract.

Trafford is expected to return to the Etihad Stadium imminently, where he came through the club's academy setup before joining the Clarets in 2023, in a reported £27 million transfer. The 22-year-old was a long-time target for Howe and the Newcastle hierarchy, with personal terms rumoured to have been agreed as far back as 12 months ago.

The Magpies were, however, gazumped by City, whose terms of sale when allowing the England hopeful to join Burnley, permitted them first refusal on re-signing the player should a team, such as Newcastle, make a bid.

Pope and Ramsdale differ considerably

As a result, Newcastle have been forced to look elsewhere in their attempts to reinforce the goalkeeping position with Sky Sports reporting Southampton's Aaron Ramsdale as a target.

Ramsdale previously worked under Howe at AFC Bournemouth and has vast Premier League experience. In theory, the goalkeeper would challenge Nick Pope for the no.1 spot at St. James' Park, although there are distinct differences between the two custodians' respective styles of play.

Pope's shot-stopping ability was one of the key reasons Newcastle moved to sign the England goalkeeper from Burnley in 2022, at a time when the club sought to avoid relegation from the Premier League by shoring up defensively.

The 33-year-old's ability on the ball has often left a lot to be desired with Pope rarely appearing the most comfortable in possession. Ramsdale, on the other hand, is a player whose passing ability remains one of his individual strengths and a factor in what brought about his 2021 move to Arsenal. Mikel Arteta identified the then-Sheffield United goalkeeper as a contender for the no.1 shirt, seeking a stopper possessing greater dexterity with the ball at his feet than incumbent Bernd Leno.

Newcastle's defence is better-equipped and more organised than it was when Howe took over, shortly thereafter installing Pope as his first-choice, which means the team should concede fewer shots on goal. However, last year, despite finishing fifth in the Premier League table, the Magpies conceded 47 times, against an Expected Goals Against (xGA) of 45.5.

Only once in the seven seasons for which data is available has Ramsdale's shot-stopping performance bettered the league average. That is to say, statistically speaking if had Ramsdale been in goal for Newcastle throughout the entirety of last season, they would have conceded a similar number of goals.

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Pope, meanwhile, has performed better than the league average in five of the seven seasons for which data is available, including each of his three campaigns at St. James' Park. The goalkeeper missed 10 league matches during 2024/25 which somewhat skews Newcastle's final goals-to-xGA ratio.

The former Burnley stopper is prone to the occasional error, which can sometimes be borne out of his awkwardness in possession, that much is true, but his shot-stopping remains above average.

Pope's front-footedness is another factor in Newcastle's style of play, which doesn't quite chime with Ramsdale's recent displays. The more senior of the two goalkeepers, Pope, recorded the second-highest number of actions outside the penalty area in the Premier League last term. Perhaps understandably, Ramsdale's starting position for 20th-place finishers last season was deeper and more focused on operating as the last line of defence, rather than the first stage of build-up, which is what Pope is expected to function as when Newcastle are in possession.

Ramsdale has operated as more of a 'sweeper keeper' in the past, namely with Arsenal, who tended to dominate the ball more than the likes of Bournemouth, Sheffield United and Southampton, which demonstrates he is capable of fulfilling that particular aspect of the Pope brief. This is perhaps what Newcastle are gambling on, that Ramsdale, in a more secure defensive outfit, can utilise his superior on-ball ability to greater effect than Pope currently.

Even in Pope's absence last season, Newcastle lacked an on-ball-focused alternative. Martin Dubravka's strengths also lie in shot-stopping and the command of his penalty area, albeit with lesser efficacy than Howe's first pick. In fact, since Howe's arrival in late 2021, the club has not been able to count on a goalkeeper in the on-ball Ramsdale mould.

It must be said, Pope has transitioned from a 'kick-it-long' type goalkeeper at Burnley to playing short more under Howe, which is reflected in the percentage of passes he makes over 40 yards, and suggests goalkeepers are perhaps more malleable than we give them credit for.

Throughout his career, Ramsdale has been more of a hybrid in this regard, dividing his time on the ball between playing short and going route one. This can be influenced by team style, manager preference and the physical profile of teammate a goalkeeper has available to him when sending balls upfield.

Ramsdale has tended to go longer when playing for sides lower in the table and shorter for those nearer the top, the latter of which it is assumed Newcastle will be during 2025-26.

A key difference does remain in the two goalkeepers' management of their 18-yard box. While the taller of the two, Pope, has league-leading command of his area, claiming close to 11 per cent of opposition crosses sent into Newcastle's box last season, Ramsdale's career average hovers around the 5.3 per cent mark, suggesting he is more hesitant to come and claim.

Newcastle are equipped to deal with high balls into the box; they do have 6ft 7in Dan Burn, Dutch centre-half Sven Botman and late last season trialled a three-at-the-back formation which packed central defensive areas with broader, taller bodies, which suggests Ramsdale's command of his area may not necessarily be a problem, but it is a steep drop-off from Pope in this particular area.

Additionally, the fact Ramsdale's Southampton conceded the joint-most (20) set-piece goals last season is slight cause for concern, even if the reason for the Saints' defensive set-play deficiencies were not exclusively at the ex-Arsenal stopper's door.

In FourFourTwo's opinion, it would be easy to characterise Newcastle's Ramsdale interest as Howe seeking to work with a player he has coached previously. It isn't an unfounded theory; he has done it before, signing and promptly selling ex-Bournemouth defender Lloyd Kelly last season, but that probably isn't the case here. Ramsdale's homegrown status is another reason the north-east club are considering his signing.

Missing out on Trafford is a blow, that much is clear; with the goalkeeper ranked second in our list of the 50 best EFL players last season. Newcastle made no secret their intention to sign the 22-year-old, but at the very least now appear to be moving quickly to avoid a similar scenario with an alternative.

The Tynesiders are yet to officially bid for Ramsdale with Southampton expected to be difficult negotiators given the prospect of losing their first-choice stopper on the eve of the new Championship campaign, but conversations are taking place over the structure of a deal and Ramsdale will obviously be receptive to remaining in the Premier League during a World Cup year.

What is clear in Newcastle's pursuit of Ramsdale is the goalkeeper's profile, first and foremost. The 27-year-old is a distributor and a more modern interpretation of the position, which as outlined above has its benefits but also its drawbacks.

Whether they are successful with their forecasted approach for the player remains to be seen, but if they are, the way in which Ramsdale will be used appears iron-clad.

Data via FBRef.com