Newcastle coach Howe excited
“That’s the beauty of football,” exulted Eddie Howe. The Newcastle boss was referring to the chance now presented to substitute Loris Karius thanks to goalkeeper Nick Pope’s suspension. In the EFL Cup final against Manchester United, the former Bundesliga keeper will be in the box, and “Magpies” coach Howe did not exactly reduce the pressure before the 29-year-old’s test.
“It would be a wonderful opportunity for him to rewrite the history of his career,” Howe said (quoted via The Guardian). “There have been a lot of stories like this in football over time that have had a really positive outcome… or not.”
Howe could not predict how Karius, whose career went downhill after losing the Champions League final with Liverpool in 2018 against Real Madrid with several mistakes by the native of Upper Swabia, would do. But the moment regular Pope saw the red card against Karius’ former club Liverpool, Howe had the feeling “that a new chapter could be written in Karius’ career – and who knows what that chapter will look like. That’s the beauty of football. That unpredictability is what makes it such an exciting event.”
Karius’ path initially led from the Reds to Besiktas on loan in 2018 after a remarkable €6m move from Mainz 05 to Liverpool and the unfortunate appearance in the Champions League final after the goalkeeper was diagnosed with a concussion. Another short-term engagement led to Union Berlin in 2020. But Karius could not get stuck anywhere again. At Newcastle, the League Cup final will be the first competitive game for the former German youth national team keeper.
German goalkeepers with Premier League appearances
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