Newcastle Reportedly Tracking France U21 Goalie to Replace Nick Pope

Newcastle United have continued scouting Toulouse goalkeeper Guillaume Restes as part of their long-term succession planning at the position, according to The i’s Mark Douglas.

Douglas stated that “sources in France have indicated that they are one of the Premier League clubs who have watched Toulouse’s France under-21 international Guillaume Restes recently,” confirming ongoing evaluations despite Aaron Ramsdale’s summer arrival.

The monitoring comes at a moment when Nick Pope’s place is under unprecedented pressure. Douglas wrote that Eddie Howe “desperately does not want to drop Nick Pope,” yet the goalkeeper’s “alarming run of high-profile errors has put his position under scrutiny.”

Pope’s mistakes have contributed to goals in three straight away matches, including an “inexplicable and costly” misjudgment in Tuesday’s loss at Marseille.

Howe, however, reiterated his support for Pope after the loss on Tuesday.

“It’s the life of a goalkeeper,” Hope said, reaffirming his belief in the 33-year-old, as crazy as that’s starting to sound.

Douglas noted that making a change now “would represent the boldest of statements,” potentially signalling “the beginning of the end for his Newcastle career.”

Ramsdale, signed for a £4million loan fee and promised “a fair fight to be No 1 in a World Cup year,” is next in line and now waits for Howe’s call ahead of Saturday’s match at Everton.

Douglas also detailed how Newcastle’s longer-term plan to replace Pope had already collapsed once.

“Plan A had been to retain Pope as number one while James Trafford was lined up as his long-term successor,” but Manchester City brought Trafford back, leaving the club to “pivot” to Ramsdale.

Restes, already Toulouse’s first-choice goalkeeper at 20, has emerged as another option under consideration.