Having to navigate the drama surrounding Alexander Isak's future has turned into a distraction that the club would prefer to avoid, especially with the Premier League season starting in just a few weeks.
A dreadful pre-season for Newcastle
Of more immediate concern is likely to be the form - or more accurately the absence of it - that the first-team squad has displayed in their four pre-season matches thus far.
Fatigue cannot be cited as an excuse because the Magpies have had rest while others have worked hard at the Club World Cup, yet players have appeared sluggish and out of sync in all four games.
A 4-0 loss to Celtic was followed by a 3-2 defeat against Arsenal, an embarrassing 1-0 loss to K-League Stars, and a 1-1 draw with Tottenham Hotspur.
With another Champions League campaign approaching, strengthening the squad in every area was essential this summer.
18-year-old Antonio Cordero is arguably a player for the future rather than the present, and Anthony Elanga, while an exciting acquisition from Nottingham Forest, is the only other outfield player to join at St. James' Park so far.
Ramsdale's arrival creates healthy competition for Nick Pope
Perhaps the most intriguing of the new arrivals is the loan signing of Southampton goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale.
This is significant because the England goalkeeper will offer robust competition for Nick Pope, although his signing will push Martin Dubravka down to third choice.
At 36 years old, the Slovakian will comprehend Howe's need to recruit younger talents, with Ramsdale being nine years Dubravka's junior and six years younger than 33-year-old Pope.
The former Arsenal player is only the second goalkeeper in Newcastle's history, with Pope being the other, to represent the Three Lions, and despite a poor season with the Saints in 2024/25, he's eager to challenge his teammate and make the decision regarding who is the first choice a tough one.
Reuniting with Howe is a pleasure for the former Arsenal player
"Working with the manager and his coaching staff again was a significant factor for me," he was quoted as saying after signing.
"They have already had a tremendous impact on my career, and the gaffer transformed me from a man into a professional footballer at Bournemouth.
"He truly guided me, so the manager and his coaching staff were a major selling point for me to come here."
Since the 2020/21 season, while at Sheffield United, Ramsdale has participated in 155 domestic matches, including for Arsenal and Southampton, and started in all of them.
His 482 saves during that period have come with a regular save percentage in the upper 60% range, and even in 24/25, he maintained a 64.9% performance.
Pope isn't finished yet
Pope has played just five additional games during the same timeframe, for Burnley and Newcastle, making 479 saves and achieving a best Premier League save percentage of 75.3% in 2020/21.
Though he's slightly decreased in terms of saves, he remains in the low 70s range.
Ramsdale's 4505 passes since 20/21 are nearly 1000 more than Pope (3574), with a 59.4% pass completion (EPL only in 24/25) compared to Pope's 65.3%.
If one considers that the former was playing in a relegation-threatened team for most of last season, while Pope and his Newcastle teammates were enjoying a significantly more successful campaign, it provides context for Ramsdale's statistics.
Not only has he served Howe excellently before, but until David Raya was favored by Mikel Arteta, Ramsdale had also performed reasonably well for Arsenal.
Both goalkeepers command their areas
Both are fairly authoritative in their box, with the 27-year-old winning 33 of 38 aerial duels and 57 from 68 across the area. Pope's 56 wins from 66 aerial duels and 77 from 97 elsewhere in the penalty area compare favorably.
Statistics suggest that the latter prefers to clear the ball with a punch rather than catch it, as evidenced by 86 clearances and 13 gathered balls. Dropping the ball on 11 other occasions hasn't directly resulted in a goal against, but Howe would certainly want to see improvement.
If there's one aspect of Ramsdale's game that must be urgently addressed, it's the frequency with which he's dropped the ball (25), while his 61 punches again indicate a preference for clearing rather than securing possession.
Safety is undoubtedly the priority unless there are no alternatives, with the goalkeepers being reliable but not exceptional over the past few seasons.
At least Howe can be fairly confident that either goalkeeper does not tend to cause panic among the defenses they have played behind, even if the tendency to punch the ball away appears somewhat excessive.
England World Cup duty is on the horizon...
Ultimately, there needs to be greater stability and sound decision-making in certain situations if either wishes to truly establish themselves.
This competition for the starting position will be a blessing for Howe, who will seek to foster it on the training ground. A healthy rivalry already at the international level over the past few years should be easily replicated as a result, which is advantageous for the manager.
With a World Cup looming at the end of the upcoming season as well, it presents a fantastic opportunity for either goalkeeper to assert themselves as Jordan Pickford's backup or Thomas Tuchel's preferred choice should the Everton man experience a dip in form or suffer an unfortunate injury.
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