Prior to their Champions League comeback, Newcastle United is expected to be given the opportunity to re-sign Fraser Forster, their former goalie.
The Premier League verified Forster’s departure from Tottenham Hotspur yesterday night through the submitted retained list, and it is believed that further efforts have been made to get the goalie back to his home club.
With the 37-year-old being released by Tottenham on a free transfer this week, Forster would help Newcastle meet their homegrown quota. After failing to play a competitive game for the Magpies, Forster went on to establish himself at the senior level at Celtic and subsequently Southampton.
The Hexham-born goalie could choose to play at home and could provide a way to fill one of three spots needed to meet UEFA’s squad requirements. Newcastle will now be in violation of the regulations and will have to present a squad that includes four “home trained” players.
As happened in 2023 when only Paul Dummett and Sean Longstaff qualified as two stars who had trained with the club for three years between the ages of 15 and 21, noncompliance might lead to UEFA taking action and docking team spots. In an effort to find the England international a club, Forster’s agency Stellar will approach Newcastle with a package that would be a viable alternative for the Magpies.
“Being a Geordie and playing for Newcastle means so much,” the veteran told the Times, expressing his long-standing desire to return to Newcastle. I wish I could change that one thing. After spending the previous two seasons on loan at Parkhead, Forster joined Newcastle as a child in 2006 and remained with the team until 2012, when he signed a £2 million contract with Celtic. Spanish media dubbed him “The Great Wall” after his performance for Celtic against Barcelona in the Champions League, while Lionel Messi, the legendary goalkeeper for Barcelona, praised him as “not human, it is the best goalkeeping performance I have seen.”
Prior to that, he made a name for himself as one of the top young goalkeepers in the nation during loan stints with Norwich City, Bristol Rovers, and Stockport County.
After leaving Celtic for Southampton in 2014 for £10 million, he stayed with the team for eight years, interspersed with another short loan stint at Celtic, before joining Spurs in 2022. He was Joe Hart’s backup at the 2014 World Cup and the 2016 European Championships, and he has six England caps. Following Nick Pope’s injury two years ago, he was summoned back into the England squad.
READ MORE: sportchannel.co.uk
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