The £24m bargain young goalkeeper who can solve Newcastle United or Man Utd’s problems at the back

New reports from the Spanish press suggest that one of the most exciting young goalkeepers in the global game – Valencia’s 23-year-old Georgian shot-stopper Giorgi Mamardashvili – could well be on his way to the Premier League, with Manchester United, Newcastle United and Tottenham Hotspur all linked with a move. But just how good is Mamardashvili, and would he make sense for any of those sides?

The young ‘keeper, who has a release clause of €100m (£85.5m) but who would reportedly be available for something closer to €25m (£21.4m) thanks to Valencia’s difficult financial position, arrived in Spain from Dinamo Tblisi in 2021 and quickly established himself as Valencia’s number one, thanks in no small part to his lightning reflexes and command of his area – and has been linked with a big move since the summer, with United in particular said to be keen before they signed André Onana from Inter Milan. It would be no surprise if Premier League teams have been monitoring his progress, and even less if they were highly impressed by him.

His reflexes stand out the most – he’s capable of making the kind of instinctive, point-blank saves that only the best goalkeepers in the world can manage, and his ability to react to danger is remarkable. He has a highlight reel of seemingly impossible saves from close range, or from shots which are hit back across him which many goalkeepers would be flat-footed by. His natural reactions are supplemented by excellent footwork and superb agility, and he can pull of the kind of stops that linger long in the memory.

He's also tall, standing at over 6’5”, and is excellent at judging high balls into the box and dealing with them, using his frame and bravery to reach balls other goalkeepers might choose to leave alone or simply be unable to reach. He’s simply not a man who’s easy to get past, as his very solid 68.9% save percentage attests.

That doesn’t mean he’s perfect – he does make occasional mistakes, especially when it comes to his positioning, and while his superb reflexes have dug him out of plenty of holes he still needs some coaching and development to help him to get into fewer sticky situations in the first place. He’s also not a natural with the ball at his feet and doesn’t look for opportunities to come out of his area and play the sweeper-keeper role, although his distribution on the throw is excellent and he often looks to spark counter-attacks with quick launches out to the wings. Still, the fact that he won’t be seen racing out of his area to handle through-balls means that he isn’t an ideal fit for a team who plays a high line.

That, in itself, should probably rule out Spurs, who seem like a strange club to be linked with Mamardashvili given how impressive summer signing Guglielmo Vicario has been. The Georgian is too good to be looked at for a back-up role, so given that he doesn’t fill a position of need for Ange Postecoglou and doesn’t seem like a natural fit for the Australian’s engagingly gung-ho tactics, this may just be a case of the Spanish media getting a little over-excited or an agent trying to suggest a wider degree of interest than is actually the case – not that he won’t have plenty of suitors when it does come time to move.

That leaves two sides who can sensibly be said to be in the running for a move – Newcastle, who have recently lost first-choice goalie Nick Pope to injury for four months, and United, whose new number one Onana has come under considerable pressure after a series of high-profile errors. Neither side look to play with a high line or have their goalkeeper play the ball out from the back on a regular basis, so they both make some sense as potential destinations for the Georgian international.

It seems unlikely that United would wish to abandon Onana after just six months. For all the errors he’s made, Onana has also put in some superb performances – perhaps his best was in the 3-0 win over Everton at Goodison Park – and his underlying numbers are impressive, with a 75.3% save percentage not only being one of the best in the Premier League this year but also better than Mamardashvili’s. If the Georgian remains available next summer and doubts over Onana linger, they may look to make a bid, but it’s hard to imagine United moving this winter when there are other priorities to deal with.

Newcastle, then, would be the most logical destination should he move this winter. Pope’s injury may not be the end of his career but, at 31, it’s at least conceivable that Eddie Howe might look for a younger and more permanent replacement than a stop-gap like David de Gea – and there’s a good chance he would be cheaper than Aaron Ramsdale, who has also been linked with a switch to St. James’ Park. Mamardashvili is currently on wages below €30,000 (£25,700) per week, less than a quarter of the Arsenal goalkeeper’s paycheque. Mamardashvili could be a relative bargain, and while Newcastle may be nouveau riche, they still have FFP requirements to keep on top of.

Ultimately, we remain slightly sceptical of the reports that Spurs or United are interested – but we could certainly see why Newcastle might be keen. The question is whether they want to sign a temporary back-up for Pope or to set up a situation where they might move on from the former Burnley man entirely. If they do decide on the latter course of action, Mamardashvili makes a great deal of sense as their man.