‘Better all-round’…Graeme Souness says £10m Newcastle player could be finished if David De Gea signs

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Graeme Souness has claimed that Newcastle goalkeeper Nick Pope could be done for if the Toon go out and sign David De Gea on a free.

De Gea is being linked with a move to Newcastle with the Spaniard apparently telling the Toon bosses he would be open to signing for them.

De Gea remains without a club after leaving Manchester United and is believed to have put himself forward to help out Newcastle if they want him.

With Nick Pope now injured for the most of the season, there is a hole in the Toon squad.

However, Graeme Souness believes that if De Gea did sign, then Pope might have a problem getting himself back in the team anyway.

David De Gea is better than Nick Pope

Writing in his column for the Daily Mail, Souness admitted that he’d take De Gea over Pope if he had to choose between them.

“I think Newcastle’s move to sign David de Gea on a free as cover for Nick Pope is a very good idea. I’d go so far as to say that Pope might have his work cut out getting his place back when he’s recovered from his shoulder injury,” Souness said.

“I signed Brad Friedel on a free twice — at Galatasaray and at Blackburn. He was my best free signing. But unlike De Gea, Brad had not been out of the game. For De Gea, the first few games could be difficult, as goalkeepers need games to get them up to speed. If you asked me, ‘De Gea or Pope?’ I would say, ‘De Gea, once he gets up to speed’. He’s the better all-round keeper.”

Big calls coming for Eddie Howe

The January window is tough to navigate anyway and Eddie Howe will have to make some big decisions it seems.

The loss of Sandro Tonali has been massive and now with Pope adding to Newcastle’s woes, it does seem there is work to be done for them in January.

With De Gea, it would seem a bit of a no-brainer to sign him. He’s levels above Martin Dubravka really and his experience with Man United should serve him well in the pressure cooker that is St James’ Park.

Whether or not he’s better than £10m signing Pope, remains open to debate. But having De Gea onboard for at least six months would certainly ease things a touch for Howe.