Ranking Newcastle's Transfer Dealings 2014-15 - Incomings

4. Karl Darlow - Signed For £3.5 Million (From Nottingham Forest, Then Loaned Back For The Season)

Nottingham Forest Appearances (All Competitions): 44 Nottingham Forest Minutes Played (Championship): 3,780 Nottingham Forest Clean Sheets (Championship): 11 Nottingham Forest Yellow Cards (Championship): 2 Nottingham Forest Red Cards (Championship): 0

Season Rating: 7 (for Nottingham Forest); 0 (for Newcastle United) Value-For-Money Rating: 7 Signed alongside Jamaal Lascelles in the £7 million double raid of Nottingham Forest, goalkeeper Karl Darlow was also loaned back to the Championship club for a season. He will return to Newcastle for pre-season this summer certainly as second-choice goalkeeper, but possibly as number one if Tim Krul does look for pastures new during the transfer window. At 24 he still has some developing to do but the former Aston Villa youth product enjoyed a pretty good season in 2014-15, keeping 11 clean sheets in 42 Championship appearances for a Forest side who struggled to find rhythm. Still unproven in the Premier League, but highly rated in the lower divisions, throwing Darlow into the goalkeeping slot should Krul leave would represent a risk - but possibly one worth taking. Darlow therefore gets a season rating of 7, as well as a value-for-money rating of 7. Like Lascelles, time will be the deciding factor as to whether he proves a success at Newcastle - as well as him physically being on Tyneside...