The January signing that 'sold' Newcastle United to Nick Pope ahead of £10m move

Nick Pope was confirmed as a Newcastle United player on Thursday evening, but a deal had been in the pipeline for a few weeks.
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The 30-year-old knew he was likely to be making the switch from Burnley to Newcastle when he was away on international duty with England earlier this month.

And with him was his future United teammate Kieran Trippier. Naturally, Pope was keen to glean what he could about the club he’d be walking into.

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“I spent a couple of weeks with Tripps only last week,” Pope said. “I asked him a few questions and he was telling me everything about the lads in the dressing room, the atmosphere home and away, the manager and what he’s brought to the club.

“It was something he really sold to me. He spoke incredibly highly of everything that’s going on.

“It’s great to be here. It’s a deal that has happened quite quickly but I’m pleased to get it over the line.”

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Following Trippier’s arrival from Atletico Madrid in January, Newcastle had climbed out of the relegation zone and up to 11th in the table. It came at Pope and Burnley’s expense as they were relegated to the Championship.

England's goalkeeper Nick Pope attends a team training session St George's Park in Burton-upon-Trent on June 10, 2022 on the eve of thier UEFA Nations League match against Italy. (Photo by OLI SCARFF/AFP via Getty Images)England's goalkeeper Nick Pope attends a team training session St George's Park in Burton-upon-Trent on June 10, 2022 on the eve of thier UEFA Nations League match against Italy. (Photo by OLI SCARFF/AFP via Getty Images)
England's goalkeeper Nick Pope attends a team training session St George's Park in Burton-upon-Trent on June 10, 2022 on the eve of thier UEFA Nations League match against Italy. (Photo by OLI SCARFF/AFP via Getty Images)
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The goalkeeper is now set to compete with Martin Dubravka for a starting spot in the Newcastle line-up next season. While he hopes to be heading to his second World Cup with England this winter, Pope insists his international duties aren’t at the front of his mind.

"It’s a little bit [of a motivator],” he told NUFC TV. “England is something that comes around in spells three or four times a year.

"For myself, I’m looking forward to hitting the ground running here, meeting the lads and getting settled in and being part of this football club.

"That’s more important to me and England is something that looks after itself if you’re performing well for your club.”

Kieran Trippier of Newcastle United applauds their fans after the final whistle of the Premier League match between Manchester City and Newcastle United at Etihad Stadium on May 08, 2022 in Manchester, England. (Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images)Kieran Trippier of Newcastle United applauds their fans after the final whistle of the Premier League match between Manchester City and Newcastle United at Etihad Stadium on May 08, 2022 in Manchester, England. (Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images)
Kieran Trippier of Newcastle United applauds their fans after the final whistle of the Premier League match between Manchester City and Newcastle United at Etihad Stadium on May 08, 2022 in Manchester, England. (Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images)
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He added: “I don’t want to put a limit on [ambition]. We don’t want to settle for anything, we want to push ourselves to see what we can achieve.

"We’ve got some high quality players here, a high quality manager and a support that is unmatched. Why limit ourselves? It’s important to have that open mindness and ambition to go as far as we can.”