Newcastle sign Braga keeper Hornicek for £25.7m
Newcastle United have signed goalkeeper Lukas Hornicek from Braga for £25.7m, activating his release clause after he flew out to the club's training camp in Spain to finalise the deal and sign a five-year contract. The 24-year-old Czech Republic international becomes the club's more established new number one, addressing a defensive weakness after Newcastle recorded just eight Premier League clean sheets and conceded 55 goals last season, with existing goalkeepers Nick Pope and Aaron Ramsdale both struggling.
Hornicek impressed last season by keeping seven clean sheets during Braga's run to the Europa League semi-finals, the most of any goalkeeper in the competition, while also ranking highly for passing among Portuguese top-flight goalkeepers. Standing 6ft 6in tall, he is seen as bringing both physical presence and ball-playing ability, fitting into a wider Newcastle rebuild under incoming head coach Mattias Jaissle that has otherwise focused on recruiting players aged 20 and under.
- Newcastle sign goalkeeper Lukas Hornicek from Braga for £25.7m
- Deal addresses defensive issues after leaky 2024-25 Premier League season
- Czech international, 24, signs a five-year contract
New here? Start with this
Newcastle United are a football club in England’s Premier League, the country’s top division. A goalkeeper is the last line of defence and can also help start attacks by passing the ball out from the back.
Lukas Hornicek is a Czech Republic international who played for Braga, a leading club in Portugal. His performances in European competition and ability with the ball helped make him a high-profile signing.
Newcastle conceded 55 goals in the previous league season, and their goalkeepers had faced criticism. Hornicek’s arrival is part of a broader rebuild under incoming head coach Mattias Jaissle, with the club also bringing in younger players.
Both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
Newcastle's defensive record last season—eight clean sheets and 55 goals conceded—demanded significant investment, and Hornicek demonstrated genuine quality across Europe's competitive second tier, recording more clean sheets than any other goalkeeper in the deep UEFA run. At only 24, he offers both immediate improvement and years of development potential, whilst his technical passing ability aligns with modern defensive philosophy and Newcastle's ambitious rebuild strategy.
The case against
The £25.7m fee represents a substantial commitment to an unproven Premier League commodity, as the step from Portugal's top flight to England's competition is considerable and has caught out promising foreign keepers before. Though Hornicek's Europa League displays were impressive, they provide limited evidence of sustained Premier League-level performance, and some analysts suggest the investment might have been better directed towards addressing defensive weaknesses in outfield positions or maintaining squad balance rather than continuing the club's youth-focused recruitment strategy.