Celtic must make Nick Pope U-turn, 70.1% and 3.31 stats prove why
Celtic should be looking to sign Nick Pope as their new first-choice goalkeeper right now ahead of Viljami Sinisalo.
Pope has been linked with a move away from Newcastle this summer after struggling last season.
The 34-year-old started the campaign as the Magpies' number one ahead of Aaron Ramsdale, but injuries and a lack of consistent form saw him fall out of the side under Eddie Howe.
Recent reports have claimed that Celtic are among several clubs eyeing his services, with Matthias Jaissle set to decide his future soon.
CeltsAreHere have reported, however, that the Hoops have not made contact with Pope's representatives and are instead looking to sign a young back-up to current number one Sinisalo.
Certain statistics from last term prove that Pope should insteadHbe seriously considered by the Hoops on a short-term deal, despite his drop off in the last 12 months.
How do Nick Pope and Viljami Sinisalo compare?
Pope's form has been questioned, but he still boasts plenty of Premier League experience and has been capped 10 times by England.
Numerous clubs have registered their interest in his services, as a result, with sources exclusively revealing to Football Insider that Ipswich are keen on signing Pope this summer.
Leeds have also been credited with an interest, with Premier League links highlighting that he still has a lot to give at the top level.
Pope is 10 years older than Sinisalo and made 27 league appearances to the Finnish international's 12 last season.
He kept seven clean sheets in those games at a rate of 0.26 per 90 minutes, while Sinisalo only kept one in 12 at a rate of 0.08 per 90.
Pope also emerged with a better save percentage, 70.1, compared to Sinisalo's lowly 60.5 per cent, so he is clearly a better shot-stopper.
He made 3.31 saves per 90 to Sinisalo's 1.6, so also had to face more shots, while he completed 96 accurate long balls to his 14.
The only metric Sinisalo can say he was definitely better for was general passing, as he completed 78 per cent of his 186 attempts to Pope's 60 per cent of 610.
What has O'Neill said about signing a new goalkeeper?
O'Neill has made it very clear that he wants to bolster his goalkeeping department this summer, with Pope clearly the better option than Sinisalo for this season.
Speaking earlier in the summer, he said: “We’ve only got the two young lads, we’ve got Ross [Doohan] and we’ve got [Viljami] Sinisalo, so we definitely need another goalkeeper. You need competition for places as well.
“I thought Sinisalo did really fine for us under really trying circumstances coming in, replacing the big fellow, so he’s done fine at this minute. That was last season…(now it's a) new season.
“I don’t want an older goalkeeper who thinks, ‘Well, I’m just going to be number two.’ I want somebody to be threatening. It has to be. Even if it wasn’t an older goalkeeper, there’s no reason why we shouldn’t be thinking of somebody younger.”
If Celtic are able to match the 34-year-old's wage demands, then it surely makes sense to strike a short-term deal like they have done with Kasper Schmeichel and Joe Hart in the past five years.