Newcastle Signs Lukas Hornicek for £25.7m

Newcastle United have made their move for a new number one, sealing the £25.7m signing of goalkeeper Lukas Hornicek from Braga on a five-year deal.

The 24-year-old Czech Republic international flew straight to the club’s training camp in Spain over the weekend to complete the formalities after Newcastle triggered his release clause. By the time the ink dried, the club had its new first-choice contender and one of Europe’s most coveted young goalkeepers.

Hornicek arrives despite Newcastle already adding 20-year-old Ewen Jaouen from Reims earlier in the summer, a clear signal that the recruitment team were never just looking for depth. They wanted a leader in goal. They believe they have found one.

“The last few days have been an emotional rollercoaster from when I first heard about the move and now I'm so happy to be here,” Hornicek said after signing.

The move takes him from the Portuguese top flight to the intensity of the Premier League, a step he has clearly been craving.

“It's a brilliant opportunity in a new league, which I'm very excited about. From the very first moment I arrived here, I received a fantastic welcome and really felt the warmth of the club. Everyone has been brilliant in helping me settle in.

“I know Newcastle is a huge football city, with 52,000 fans at St James' Park creating an incredible atmosphere and pushing the team every game. I can't wait to play in front of them.”

Newcastle have not made this call on promise alone. They have followed Hornicek closely, and last season’s numbers with Braga demanded attention.

He kept seven clean sheets during Braga's run to the Europa League semi-finals, the most of any goalkeeper in the competition. Under pressure, under the lights, he held firm. But his game is not just about shot-stopping.

Opta data from the Portuguese top flight last season showed Hornicek ranked second among goalkeepers for successful passes with 846, and fourth for passing accuracy at 75%. In a league that increasingly demands goalkeepers act as playmakers, those figures matter. Newcastle want to build from the back; Hornicek has already shown he can be the starting point of attacks, not just the last line of defence.

Sporting director Ross Wilson made no attempt to hide the scale of the club’s admiration for the new signing.

He described Hornicek’s “progress in recent years” as “remarkable” and underlined just how competitive the chase for his signature became.

“He has firmly established himself as one of Europe's top young goalkeepers,” Wilson said. “We knew there would be no shortage of clubs interested in acquiring Lukas this summer after everything he achieved last season, but it quickly became evident how keen he was to be a part of what we are building here.”

That last point will resonate on Tyneside. Newcastle are not just buying a goalkeeper; they are recruiting a believer in the project, a player ready to step into one of the most demanding atmospheres in English football and own that space.

Now the question hangs over St James’ Park: can the man who dominated Europe’s second tier of competition become the commanding presence in goal for a club with ambitions of mixing it with the elite? The answer will unfold in front of 52,000 expectant voices.