This article forms part of our Profit Players feature series, which is where Football Transfer Tavern takes a look at how well a player has fared since being signed or sold, using statistical figures or statements from pundits to prove how good of a deal the club managed to pull off.
The summer of 2016 saw goalkeeper Nick Pope join Burnley from Charlton Athletic for just £1.1m (via Transfermarkt). Three years later, and the 27-year-old is a first-choice goalkeeper in the Premier League and has earned himself a senior England cap.
Pope began his career as a trainee with Ipswich Town but was released by the Tractor Boys in 2008 aged 16. He subsequently signed for non-league outfit Bury Town, before Charlton picked him up three years later, where he signed a professional contract with the south London club after impressing on trial.
Seven loan spells later, to the likes of Aldershot Town, Cambridge United and York City, saw Pope gain valuable first-team experience in England’s lower leagues, before he was recalled by the Addicks in 2015. During the 2015/16 season, Pope became Charlton’s designated No.1 goalkeeper, turning out 28 times for the Londoners, keeping six clean sheets (via Transfermarkt).
Before long, Pope’s performances started to attract interest from clubs in the Premier League, with Sean Dyche snapping him up at the end of his debut season between the sticks at the Valley. Pope was initially brought in as backup for Tom Heaton at Burnley, but when the ex-United shot-stopper picked up an injury to his shoulder in September of 2017, he was thrust into the starting line-up at Turf Moor and immediately impressed.
Pope would go on to make 38 appearances for Burnley during the remainder of the 2017/18 campaign, keeping an impressive 12 clean sheets. Last season, with former Manchester City goalkeeper Joe Hart joining the Clarets, Pope saw game-time limited, though he has now reinstated himself as Sean Dyche’s first-choice keeper this term, starting all five of the Clarets’ fixtures in the Premier League so far.
Liverpool were reportedly interested (per the Mirror in June 2018) in Pope last summer, as they searched for a new backup keeper for the departed Loris Karius and Simon Mignolet, though a move never came to fruition.
Indeed, apparent interest from one of Europe’s biggest clubs was proof that Pope is heading in the right direction and even the more recent £15m (per the Daily Mail) link with Bournemouth over the course of the summer attests to that too, so the 27-year-old’s £1.1m fee just three years ago seems like a complete steal.
Burnley fans, how highly do you rate Pope? Let us know by commenting below!
