Newcastle United are flying high in the Premier League at the moment and are currently sitting two points behind fourth-place Aston Villa, having put Manchester United to the sword at St. James' Park on Saturday night.
The Magpies were sensational against the Red Devils, recording an xG of 2.5 from 22 shots while boasting 58% of the ball.
However, there was a devastating drawback to Newcastle's emphatic victory as Nick Pope was taken off late in the game after diving for a shot in the second half.
Head coach Eddie Howe has confirmed that Pope will be out for roughly four months which will certainly be a worry but there is one player in the squad who could help ease the team's goalkeeping woes.
Nick Pope's stats this season
Pope has been outstanding once more for Newcastle United this season and even put in a Man of the Match display for the side as Howe's men came away with a point against Paris Saint-Germain last week in the Champions League, despite conceding an xG of 4.54. Furthermore, the only goal Pope conceded during the game was from the penalty spot.
When compared to all other goalkeepers from Europe's top-five leagues across the last 365 days, Pope ranks quite favourably in a number of key goalkeeping metrics.
Goals Against
85
Clean Sheet %
73
Crosses Stopped %
81
Penalty Kicks Saved %
92
Save %
69
Post-Shot Expected Goals
82
Defensive Actions Outside Penalty Area
94
It has been reported since Pope's injury blow that former Manchester United goalkeeper David De Gea is being lined up as a potential short-term replacement until Newcastle's number one returns from his lengthy spell on the sidelines, although Howe has since quashed these rumours in his recent pre-match press conference.
Coincidentally, according to FBref, one of the goalkeepers Pope is most similar to is De Gea, so perhaps bringing the Spaniard to St. James' Park in the interim may not be the worst decision Howe has made so far.
Nevertheless, there is one other cost-effective option that the head coach could utilise in the meantime.
Martin Dubravka's stats
The man to replace Pope following his injury on Saturday night was Martin Dubravka. The Slovakia international moved to Newcastle back in 2018 for a mere £4m during Rafa Benitez's spell in charge and quickly became a fan-favourite, with former England shot-stopper Paul Robinson labelling Dubravka as "inspirational" in net for the Geordie club.
In his pre-match presser ahead of Newcastle's trip to Everton, Howe hinted that Dubravka will be Pope's successor while the first-choice goalkeeper is sidelined. That would be quite something considering he's not started a league game for the club since May.
“We really believe in Martin [Dubravka] and I’ve always had that high opinion of him," Howe said. It was even reported by journalist Ben Jacobs that the Newcastle manager wasn't keen for Dubravka to leave on loan to Manchester United last season, a decision which ultimately cost him a place in the EFL Cup final, having been cup-tied.
However, can Dubravka really fill Pope's boots? To answer that question, let's compare his data from his last season as Newcastle's number one back in the 2021/22 campaign to Pope's from the current campaign.
Goals Against
1.35
1.01
Shots On Target Against
4.08
3.81
Saves
2.77
2.81
Save %
67.9
73.6
Clean Sheet %
30.8
35.7
Post-Shot Expected Goals
1.31
1.09
Crosses Faced
13.8
9.21
Crosses Stopped
0.85
0.43
Defensive Actions Outside Penalty Area
0.54
2.01
Pope has certainly been a big upgrade on Dubravka but it's also important to note that the Slovak was playing in a team that was fighting for Premier League survival, not one vying for the top four. Nevertheless, his stats aren't too bad.
While De Gea would possibly be an improvement on Dubravka, the Spaniard was on £375k-per-week at Old Trafford and will cost quite a lot in terms of wages for a temporary deal.
Dubravka could be the perfect short-term option for Howe until Pope returns given he is on just £44k-per-week and already understands the team's style of play.