With Newcastle losing Nick Pope for a long duration after his surgery to repair a dislocated shoulder, the focus shifts to the goalkeeping resources of the Magpies.

The 31-year-old has been a key part of this resurgent Newcastle side and his absence will definitely hurt the fortunes of the side considering the back-up options that the club has.

Newcastle's current options in goal are long-time club servant Martin Dubravka, former Liverpool keeper Loris Karius, and homegrown Mark Gillespie. One look at those names and they are not the type of options that exude a lot of confidence if you are a Newcastle fan. In a season that still sees them involved in all 4 competitions, the above options  between the sticks are just not good enough, making it a huge cause for concern.

So what do Newcastle do? The obvious option is looking for quality additions in the transfer market. And if reports are to be believed, Newcastle are targeting either David de Gea and Aaron Ramsdale in the January transfer window.

De Gea has been a free agent since being released by Man United in the summer and is currently still looking for a new club. While not the modern goalie who is proficient with his distribution, what he brings to the table is a wealth of PL and European experience, something most of this side lacks.

Ramsdale has currently seen gametime hard to come by at Arsenal with Raya emerging as the undisputed number 1. With the Englishman intent on playing time so that he is in England's squad for the upcoming Euros in Germany, Newcastle would be a realistic option for the 25-year-old. It will be a good deal for the magpies as well since he is classified as an homegrown player too.

All in all, while this Newcastle keeper situation is a potential banana skin, both these options have merits should the club choose to dip into the transfer market. At the end, it is all on the manager and the DoF to make the call that is in the best interest for the club. We shall soon find out what the move will be.