Newcastle United's new goalkeeper Lukas Hornicek has praised his team-mates as 'five star guys' after receiving a warm welcome to the club, with Nick Woltemade singled out for going above and beyond.
Move and First Impressions
Hornicek completed his move to Newcastle on Monday after the club triggered his £25.7 million release clause, signing a five-year contract at St James' Park. The Czech international is expected to be the Magpies' first-choice goalkeeper this season, competing with Ewen Jaouen and Nick Pope.
He has already trained with the goalkeeping unit at the La Manga training camp in Spain, where he described his new colleagues as 'five star guys'.
Woltemade's Welcome
Speaking to Newcastle's official website, Hornicek revealed Woltemade's playful ribbing after scoring against him in the European Under-21 Championships last summer.
"Everybody is so nice but I am still looking for my main guy. My broski," Hornicek said. "The first who picked me up was Nick Woltemade. We spoke to each other nicely and he reminded me he scored two goals and one assist against us in the under-21 euros so it was nice and he was very welcoming to me."
Czech Legacy
Hornicek will be Newcastle's first Czech goalkeeper since the late Pavel Srnicek, who passed away in December 2015. Srnicek made 184 appearances for the Magpies across two spells and remains hugely revered on Tyneside.
The 24-year-old admitted Srnicek's legacy was a significant factor in his decision to join.
"It means a lot. For me, the legacy even helped me make this decision because I know there is some part of the Czech culture here and the fans love it and that makes it even more easy for me," he said. "Pavel was a big name for the Czech national team. I think he was the first goalkeeper who established himself in the Premier League and since then other ones come."
