Newcastle United travel to Coventry City on Monday in a match that will offer a direct comparison between their new £25.7m goalkeeper Lukas Hornicek and £22m summer target Carl Rushworth. Hornicek has made the second-most saves of any Premier League goalkeeper this season and boasts the division's best goals-prevented rate.
Hornicek's Impressive Start
The Czechia international arrived from Braga in the summer and has transitioned seamlessly to life in the Premier League. His profile has drawn comparisons to Manchester City's Gianluigi Donnarumma and Real Madrid's Thibaut Courtois, according to DataMB's player similarity generator tool. He has also added an extra dimension with the ball at his feet, addressing a criticism levelled at former number one Nick Pope.
"[He has done] An amazing job so far," head coach Matthias Jaissle told Chronicle Live. "[An] Amazing signing, a young lad as well and not easy coming into the Premier League and performing already on a high level and dealing with the pressure. As a keeper it is something else as well. So we are really pleased and we hope can continue to progress in the same way."
Hornicek returned to Tyneside after winning the battle to become his country's number one goalkeeper, beating Tottenham's Antonin Kinsky and PSV's Matej Kovar.
Rushworth's £22m Move
Rushworth, a former England under-21 international, was linked with Newcastle during their summer search for a goalkeeper. The 25-year-old spent last season on loan at Coventry from Brighton, helping the Sky Blues win the Championship title and promotion, earning a place in the division's team of the season.
With Bart Verbruggen established as Brighton's number one, Rushworth sought first-team football. Newcastle focused on signing Hornicek and France under-21 international Ewen Jaouen instead, while Rushworth returned to Coventry permanently for £22m.
"It was a no-brainer," Rushworth told BBC Coventry and Warwickshire Sport. "Straight away as soon as the season finished, I knew I wanted to be back here. I knew it was time for me to go on a permanent and have a new home, and I wanted to be my own club's number one, so then to have the opportunity here at Coventry, it was such an easy decision, and I made it clear to Brighton straight away I didn't want to be anywhere else."
Rushworth's Premier League Adjustment
Rushworth endured a difficult opening-day defeat to Arsenal and conceded five goals against Brighton, but kept his first Premier League clean sheet in a 1-0 win at Nottingham Forest.
"The short answer is that he was brilliant for Coventry during his season-long loan last term when he kept 17 clean sheets and was named in the division's team of the year," Andy Turner, Coventry City reporter for the Coventry Telegraph, told Chronicle Live. "He's a talented goalkeeper with all the attributes to make it to the very top, with Frank Lampard firmly believing he's heading for international honours with England."
Newcastle will see that talent first hand on Monday, with Hornicek hoping to win the battle of the goalkeepers.
