An update has emerged regarding Newcastle United's pursuit of a goalkeeper to cover for the injured Karl Darlow...

What's the talk?

Journalist Pete O'Rourke has revealed that Dan Ashworth failed in an attempt to snap up free agent shot-stopper Ben Foster, who left Watford at the end of last season.

He tweeted: "Former Watford goalkeeper Ben Foster turned down an approach from Newcastle to join on a short-term deal before they turned to ex-Liverpool goalkeeper Loris Karius. #nufc"

The Magpies are now set to confirm the signing of Loris Karius on a free transfer in due course, with the German poised to compete with Nick Pope for the number one shirt.

Eddie Howe should be gutted

Newcastle's head coach should be gutted by this news, as Foster could have been a brilliant addition to the squad on a short-term basis to cover for Darlow.

The 39-year-old, who was likened to a "cat" by former Watford team-mate Gerard Deulofeu, has played a whopping 524 games for English clubs - including 390 appearances in the Premier League - throughout his career to date.

Meanwhile, Karius has only played 53 matches for English teams and four of those came for Manchester City's under-21s, with 29 in the Premier League for Liverpool.

The former Watford man, who was once dubbed an "inspiration" by former team-mate Heurelho Gomes, is far more experienced in this country and knows what it takes to perform at this level.

This suggests that he could have offered more than Karius to the younger goalkeepers at the club, as he has a wealth of experience in the top flight and could have been a valuable mentor for the next generation of shot-stoppers on Tyneside.

The 29-year-old German spent the entirety of the 2021/22 campaign in the stands as he failed to make a single appearance for the Reds in the final year of his contract at Anfield, after playing just five games in all competitions on loan at Union Berlin in 2020/21.

This means that he has only played five times in the last two-and-a-bit seasons, whereas Foster played 50 matches in all competitions for Watford in the same timeframe.

These statistics suggest that the Englishman is more likely to be ready to come straight into the team if needed, whilst Karius may need time to get match-fit after an extended spell off the pitch.

Therefore, Howe should be gutted that the ex-Manchester United stopper turned down the chance to join the Magpies, as on paper it appears as though he could have been a better signing for the club than Karius in terms of what he could offer on and off the pitch.