Newcastle United Were Rejected By Star Keeper: Was Hornicek The Right Call Instead?

Newcastle United Were Rejected By Star Keeper: Was Hornicek The Right Call Instead? Matthias Jaissle’s first months at St James’ Park have lacked the control Newcastle United expected when they replaced Eddie Howe. The Magpies lost 1-0 at home to Everton on 2 November, days after the same opponents knocked them out of the League Cup, and no Premier League side has lost more home games in 2026 than their seven. Falling behind has been especially costly, with 16 defeats in their last 18 league matches after conceding first. The summer rebuild explains part of that. Sandro Tonali left for Tottenham in a £100m deal, and Anthony Gordon joined Barcelona for £69.3m. Goalkeeper needed the biggest rethink. Nick Pope made several costly errors last season and Aaron Ramsdale never convincingly settled on loan, so Newcastle triggered the release clause of Braga’s Lukas Hornicek, paying around £25.7m for a 24-year-old Czech international who kept seven Europa League clean sheets, the most of any goalkeeper in the competition. Hornicek’s start has been mixed At 6ft 6in, he stops shots well, and FotMob’s early-season figures showed a 67.9 per cent save percentage with 3.8 saves per 90. He kept a clean sheet in the 2-0 win at Tottenham, yet he also conceded four at Leeds, and Newcastle still haven’t kept one at home in any competition, with nine goals shipped in six games at St James’ Park. MUNICH, GERMANY – OCTOBER 31: (EDITOR’S NOTE: Tonal effects have been applied to this image.) Gregor Kobel of Borussia Dortmund warms up for the Bundesliga 2026/27 match between FC Bayern München and Borussia Dortmund at Allianz Arena on October 31, 2026 in Munich, Germany. (Photo by Alex Grimm/Getty Images) That context makes SportBILD’s latest claim more interesting. According to Sean Lunt of Sport Witness , citing the German outlet, Newcastle first approached Borussia Dortmund’s Gregor Kobel. They offered the Swiss international around £11m a year (€13m), roughly £215,000 a week, but he turned it down because of Newcastle’s uncertain sporting outlook. Dortmund now want an early extension for Kobel, whose contract runs until 2028, though Newcastle’s offer has raised the wage benchmark for those talks. Was Hornicek the right call for Newcastle United? Yes, and the figures show why. Kobel would have cost a fee on top of a salary near £11m a year, a huge commitment for a goalkeeper about to turn 29, at a club that finished 12th with 49 points last season. Hornicek has five years left on his deal and an age profile that protects his resale value. The bigger issue sits in front of him. Dan Burn and Fabian Schar are both in their mid-thirties, and a side that gives up this many chances at home needs a centre-back more than a marquee goalkeeper. Kobel’s refusal stings, but it cost Newcastle a name rather than a solution.