To be fair to the club, when Newcastle allowed Fraser Forster to move to Celtic permanently for £2 million in 2012, they had an array of goalkeeping talent in their ranks - with Steve Harper still going strong and Tim Krul beginning to prove his class as a Premier League stopper. However, since leaving the Magpies, Forster has become a £10 million player and an England international - and he has kept an incredible 118 clean sheets in 234 matches, more than one every other game. With Krul having struggled for form last season, Harper having left, Rob Elliot still not looking entirely convincing, and Karl Darlow yet to prove himself at Premier League level, Newcastle could well wish they still had Forster on their books. Forster is still only 27 and could have been a Newcastle keeper for years to come - especially seeing as he was born in the North East. And, what's more, Forster is 6ft 7in and a towering presence - something that is invaluable in a goalkeeper. This is just another case of local talent being allowed to blossom elsewhere.
NUFC editor for WhatCulture.com/NUFC. History graduate (University of Edinburgh) and NCTJ-trained journalist. I love sports, hopelessly following Newcastle United and Newcastle Falcons. My pastimes include watching and attending sports matches religiously, reading spy books and sampling ales.
