Pope recently arrived at Newcastle from Burnley for £10million and is expected to provide direct competition for Dubravka, who has been the number one choice at St James’s Park since 2018.
We’ve looked at the stats and will compare the two goalkeepers. But as Pope has played 141 Premier League games to Dubravka’s 127, we will be using stats as a per-game average in an attempt to balance out Pope’s 14 game advantage.
While it can be debated which player is the superior goalkeeper, statistics are not quite as subjective.
And Newcastle head coach Eddie Howe faces a potential selection dilemma between the sticks next season, but which player will get the nod?
5. Interceptions: Pope
Part of a goalkeeper’s responsibility is to be aware of danger and cut it out before it can develop. That requires sound judgement to come off the line and intercept. Pope has made seven interceptions in Premier League matches while Dubravka has made one. The pair are level in terms of tackles with two successful tackles apiece. Photo: Stu Forster
6. Fewest errors leading to goals: Pope
Pope has made five errors directly leading to goals compared to Dubravka’s nine. | Getty Images
7. Pass success: Dubravka
Dubravka completes 55.78% of his attempted passes compared to Pope’s 41.17%. Photo: Shaun Botterill
8. Clearances: Pope
Pope averages 1.07 clearances per game while Dubravka averages 0.81. With 0.71 to 0.35, the former Burnley man also leads the way when it comes to sweeper clearances which require the goalkeeper to leave his penalty area. | Getty