Paul Merson believes Newcastle have pulled off a "ridiculous" piece of business this summer...

Paul Merson believes our £10m move for Burnley's Nick Pope is a brilliant piece of business, feeling we've landed ourselves a real bargain.

The Sky Sports pundit reckons this is the second best signing of the summer so far - only Yves Bissouma's £25m move to Spurs was ranked higher - and has praised the deals Eddie Howe has pursued so far.

The 30-year-old impressed heavily for Burnley, ranking third for most clean sheets in the last three seasons, and has been labelled a "top, top goalkeeper" by Merson.

Speaking to Sportskeeda, here's what Merson said:

“Nick Pope is a top goalkeeper, it's ridiculous that Newcastle United got a player of his calibre for as little as £10 million.

“If Jordan Pickford hadn't done so well for Everton at the business end of last season, you could've argued that there is much between him and Pope - that's how good a player the former Burnley man is.

“Eddie Howe is looking to build a team that can compete in the Premier League. It could take them five to six years, but they are doing a steady job and not splashing £100 million on a player just for the sake of it - they are learning to walk before they can run.

“If they can get 10th place and probably win one of the domestic cups, that would be a fantastic season for Newcastle.

"Pope will save them points and is a top, top goalkeeper for their project.”

As someone who has often been critical of Newcastle, it is a breath of fresh air to hear such a positive outlook on the club from the ex-Arsenal man.

Pope will desperate to keep up his good form ahead of the World Cup and can hopefully give Newcastle fans a second England international to cheer on this winter.