Newcastle United boss Eddie Howe has a big decision to make after another costly error from Nick Pope. Does he stick with his long-term first-choice goalkeeper, or does he put Aaron Ramsdale in goal against Everton?

Pope’s latest mistake came in Newcastle’s 2-1 defeat to Marseille in the Champions League on Tuesday night, when he rushed out to deal with a speculative through pass, only to be beaten to the ball by Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, who curled into an empty net from long range.

Ramsdale vs Pope: 2024/25 Premier League comparison

• Save %: 67.6 – 71.7
• Clean sheet %: 10.0 – 28.6
• Post-shot expected goals per 90: 2.12 – 1.24
• Passes completed per 90: 25.8 – 20.5

Ramsdalejoined the Magpies from Southampton in the summer transfer window on an initial loan deal but has found minutes hard to come by.

Newcastlestarted the season with a strong defensive record, five clean sheets in their opening seven Premier League games, which justified Howe’s decision to stick with Pope.

However, the 33-year-old’s form has dipped, and Newcastle, who are 14th in the Premier League, have failed to keep a clean sheet in any of their last five league matches, raising serious question marks over his place in the XI.

His ball-playing ability has always been a weakness, and while Ramsdale excels in that area, Pope’s decision-making has now become a major problem for Newcastle.

From trying to play a hero ball against Arsenal seconds before conceding from a corner he failed to claim, to his mishap against Marseille, supporters are losing patience. Many believe Howe has little choice but to drop Pope for Ramsdale against Everton on Saturday.

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Howe discusses Newcastle goalkeeper dilemma

Speaking ahead of the club’s first trip to the Hill Dickinson Stadium, Howe admitted that “all options are on the table” when asked if he was considering starting Ramsdale.

He added: “The life of a goalkeeper is always on a knife-edge. You’re judged on a couple of moments and, sometimes, you get no reprieve, no one to save you the other way.

“I think Nick knows that. He’s been in the game long enough. It’s nothing new to him.”

Howe insisted that Pope has had a “very strong season” overall, excluding “a couple of high-profile moments”.

“There’s always two sides, isn’t there?” he said. “I actually think his goalkeeping has been very good. His shot-stopping has been incredible.

“He has made some great saves, and a lot of those saves are underrated and go under the radar.

“Because he delivers so many of them, it’s almost expected.”

So, unfortunately, we don’t know the answer to the question: ‘Will Aaron Ramsdale replace Nick Pope for Newcastle this weekend?’

Ramsdale shouldstart over Pope for Newcastle

One question we cananswer is: ‘Should Aaron Ramsdale replace Nick Pope for Newcastle this weekend?’

We think the answer is yes.

We’re surprised it hasn’t happened sooner, but Howe couldn’t exactly drop a goalkeeper keeping clean sheets every week. Ramsdale has looked solid when given opportunities in the Carabao Cup, while Pope has been producing more errors to the point of becoming a liability.

Pope has earned the right to fight for his place and was clearly motivated after Newcastle publicly pursued a new goalkeeper before landing Ramsdale. The ex-Burnley shot-stopper said he wanted to “push himself to the absolute maximum to earn the right to play for the club”.

But after a rush of blood in Marseille and costly errors in comeback defeats to Brentford and West Ham, the time has come to make a change.

If Newcastle didn’t have a goalkeeper as talented as Ramsdale waiting in the wings, perhaps more patience would be warranted. But Ramsdale is a top-level keeper, Pope deserves to be dropped, and Ramsdale deserves the chance to play.

If he doesn’t get the nod now, people will rightly wonder why Howe signed him in the first place.

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Why Ramsdale has the edge over Pope

The biggest difference between the two is Ramsdale’s ability with the ball at his feet. While Pope has produced the odd impressive long throw, like the one against Benfica this season, Ramsdale’s distribution is on another level.

“He has personality, character,” Ramsdale’s former goalkeeper coach at AFC Wimbledon, Ashley Bayes, told the BBC. “He’s very on the front foot, works his box really well and his distribution is his biggest strength.

“He’s great with it — he had to be at the teams he’s played for. He learnt a lot at Arsenal and had the same sort of situation at Southampton.

“He’s very driven, very motivated, and he’s a different sort of goalkeeper to what Newcastle already have, which is good for the goalkeeping group there. He loves the big stage and the big games. He thrives off the pressure.”

Maybe Eddie Howe will throw a curveball and start John Ruddy. Who knows?

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