The summer reboot of Newcastle United has continued, with over £43 million spent on goalkeeping duo Lukas Hornicek (£5.0m) and Ewen Jaouen (£4.5m).
Hornicek’s capture was confirmed on Monday, with Jaouen arriving earlier in pre-season.
But with Nick Pope (£5.0m) already on the books, who starts between the posts?
WHO IS EWEN JAOUEN?
Both of Newcastle’s new goalkeepers are 6ft 6in tall and seem comfortable with the ball.
Aged 20, Jaouen signed for Newcastle from Reims in June.
On loan at second-tier Dunkerque in 2024/25, he helped his temporary employers overcome three Ligue 1 sides to reach the Coupe de France semi-finals.
In 2025/26, he kept a division-high 15 clean sheets during last season’s 34 Ligue 2 matches.
“As a goalkeeper, I enjoy one-on-one situations and playing as a modern keeper, building from the back and being comfortable with the ball at my feet.” – Ewen Jaouen, speaking to Newcastle United’s website
WHO IS LUKAS HORNICEK?
The 24-year-old just helped Braga to a fourth-placed Primeira Liga finish and run to the Europa League semi-finals. He became a Czech international in May.
Horníček has decent reflexes and likes to come off his line often. According to Opta, only five goalkeepers in Europe’s top 10 leagues registered more keeper sweepings (45). That’s ideal for incoming head coach Matthias Jaissle’s usual high defensive line.
A regular starter since January 2025, Hornicek initially kept eight clean sheets in 17 league matches. And throughout all of 2025/26, there were 24 in all competitions.
Like Jaouen, he has a soft spot for penalties. Three of 10 were saved last term, including one from Morgan Gibbs-White (£8.0m).
“I’m delighted to welcome Lukáš to Newcastle United. His progress in recent years has been remarkable and he has firmly established himself as one of Europe’s top young goalkeepers.
“We knew there would be no shortage of clubs interested in acquiring Lukáš this summer after everything he achieved last season, but it quickly became evident how keen he was to be a part of what we are building here.” – Newcastle United Sporting Director, Ross Wilson
“I love the most when I can make a save and I can hear the fans going ‘Wow!’, and get the appreciation for the save. Also it’s really satisfying when I can make the pass between the lines.” – Lukas Hornicek
POPE’S DECLINE
Pope was one of Newcastle’s most astute signings back in 2022, with £10m peanuts for his contribution to the Magpies’ rise from relegation battlers to Champions League contenders.
However, it’s been diminishing returns in the last few seasons.
| Season | Save % | xG prevented | Errors leading to goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025/26 | 71.2% | -3.50 | 3 |
| 2024/25 | 73.3% | +0.10 | 2 |
| 2023/24 | 74.1% | +1.50 | 1 |
Bear in mind that the basics – ie shotstopping – are meant to be Pope’s forte. Distribution has always been an Achilles heel.
Newcastle have been attempting to address this increasingly obvious weakness for a while. Aaron Ramsdale, more in the ‘modern-day goalkeeper’ mould, was signed on loan last season, but that move didn’t work out. The Magpies have tried to sign James Trafford (£5.0m) both this summer and last.
Indeed, the double swoop for Hornicek and Jaouen is now expected to lead to the departure of Pope, although suitors seem to be in short supply.
SO, WHO IS NUMBER ONE?
While the ‘real-life’ transfer fees weren’t too far apart (£18m for Jaouen, £25m for Hornicek), you probably only need to look at the FPL pricing to suss the above question out.
Hornicek has, disappointingly but not unsurprisingly, come in at £5.0m. That’s what Pope is, and half a million more than Jaouen.
Jaouen has never played top-flight football in any country, let alone England’s, so Hornicek is believed to be the Magpies’ new number one.
Four years older, Hornicek has European and international football on his CV, too.
ANY FPL POTENTIAL?
Newcastle top our Fixture Ticker over the first 10 Gameweeks, although it’s not really until Gameweeks 3/4 when you’d be looking to ‘hop on’ Magpies assets:
The main problems are that their opener is against Liverpool, a new head coach has arrived, and there’s a bad overall vibe about the club right now. So, expect very little FPL ownership initially.
Also not helping is that the Magpies kept only three clean sheets in the final 31 Gameweeks of 2025/26:
If Jaissle does come in, he can boast of the best defensive record in the Saudi top flight across the last two seasons combined.
Still, you’d probably instead fancy a DefCon-amassing defender with set-piece threat – ie Dan Burn (£5.0m) or Malick Thiaw (£5.0m) – if you’re spending that sort of money on a member of Newcastle’s backline.
