Newcastle United are expected to bolster their goalkeeping department this summer and have been linked with 'the best goalkeeper in the Bundesliga'
Gregor Kobel of Borussia Dortmund
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This summer transfer window is a huge one for Newcastle United and Eddie Howe in more ways than one. After defeat to Sunderland in the Tyne-Wear derby, there have been several questions fired towards the club's hierarchy and Howe himself.
The Magpies' head coach spoke has not hidden his disappointment regarding last summer's transfer window, labelling it the hardest he has ever had. Speaking after the defeat to the Black Cats, Howe said: "The rules have made it very difficult to have momentum to go with the speed it (the club) initially went with.
"I don't know a way we can beat that system. We have to follow the rules that are set, the club desperately want to be ambitious but there is a limit to what we can spend.
"That has a knock on effect on everything we do. To not recruit for that many windows, I don't know a team that would not suffer from that. We certainly have, and then losing Alexander Isak last summer was a considerable blow. But again we can't feel sorry for ourselves and use excuses.
"We have to find a way to be successful despite all of those things. But with that there has to be an understanding of the type of conditions we are under."
It's a crucial summer transfer window for the owners to prove they're serious about becoming number one, and for Howe to prove he's the right man to take the club to the next level. If one criticism has been levelled at the Toon boss, it's his loyalty to players who have not been in the best form.
Newcastle have struggled for consistency across the board, but one area they're looking to strengthen this summer is the goalkeeping department. The Magpies have been linked with several potential replacements for Nick Pope, whose form has dipped dramatically.
Borussia Dortmund's Gregor Kobel has emerged as a surprise transfer target, but a signing - on paper at least - that would take Newcastle to the next level in that area of the pitch.
Newcastle United have been linked with a move for Borussia Dortmund goalkeeper Gregor Kobel.
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"Fairly slim, but not impossible," Dortmund-based reporter Lars Pollmann told Chronicle Live when asked about the possibility of the Swiss international leaving Germany. "Kobel is under contract until 2028, having signed his current deal in autumn 2023.
"As a 28-year-old goalkeeper, he is only entering his prime. It would not be terribly surprising if he at least entertained the idea of a big move to the Premier League. However, Kobel has been regarded as the best keeper in the Bundesliga for most of the five years he has now spent at Dortmund (given Manuel Neuer's decline because of age) and has still never come particularly close to leaving the club.
"He is one of their most important leaders and both well-liked by the fans and well-respected by his team-mates and all decision-makers at the club. One would think it will take a special situation for Kobel to leave Dortmund.
"Seeing as Newcastle are more likely than not to miss out on the Champions League, that seems an unlikely destination. The caveat is that Dortmund will have to sell one or two players to fund their squad rebuild in the summer and Kobel has a particularly high market value for a goalkeeper.
"They have a potential replacement in Diant Ramaj, currently on loan at soon-to-be-relegated Heidenheim, even though he has not enjoyed a good season to this point. Dortmund would prefer selling other players, but Kobel cannot be completely ruled out as a candidate."
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Newcastle have tried to box clever in the transfer market, but the failed move for James Trafford last summer only highlighted the difficulty in trying to sign players for the right price, and getting a deal done quickly. City's buy-back clause, which offered Trafford a return to the club he spent much of his youth at, and the lure of competing for silverware off the bat, meant the Magpies had little chance in that transfer tussle.
But what about Kobel? As one of the best goalkeepers in Germany, surely other elite clubs will have their eye on the 28-year-old?
"Given his importance, contract and age, Dortmund would certainly expect one of the highest fees for a goalkeeper in football history, presumably somewhere in the region of €50m (£43.4m) to €70m (£60.8m)," Pollmann continued. "He is an excellent shot stopper with great reflexes on the line and in one-on-ones.
"He has decent command of the box thanks to prototypical size and athleticism. Somewhat surprisingly, his penalty record is nothing to get excited about."
Newcastle United goalkeepers Nick Pope and Aaron Ramsdale. Inset: Gregor Kobel
Newcastle United goalkeepers Nick Pope and Aaron Ramsdale. Inset: Gregor Kobel
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If there has been one consistent weakness in Pope's game, it's his distribution and struggles with the ball at his feet. It's an area that Trafford excels in, but missing out on him meant Howe and Co made the move to sign Aaron Ramsdale on loan for the season.
The England international is decent enough with the ball at his feet - as top-flight shot stoppers have to be - but there are question marks about other areas of his game. It's unlikely Ramsdale will move to Newcastle permanently at the end of the season, so will Kobel finally address that problem?
Pollmann said: "The glaring weakness in Kobel's game might well explain why the Switzerland international is still at Dortmund: he is a genuine liability with the ball at his feet and will make a few catastrophic mistakes in that aspect of the game every season.
"Recently, one of those mistakes cost Dortmund dearly in the Champions League play-offs at Atalanta in the dying moments of the game before extra time. Kobel is much more akin to someone like Donnarumma than Neuer, and most elite clubs veer towards the latter type.
"Then again, as Donnarumma's move to Manchester City showed, it only takes one manager to see things differently."