‘They are breathing with the team. Unbelievable’ Newcastle United signing is loving it
· Yahoo Sports
Newcastle United officially announced the signing of Lukáš Horníček from Sporting Braga on Monday 3 August 2026.
The goalkeeper arriving at St James’ Park only 20 days ahead of the season kicking off against Liverpool in the Premier League.
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Lukáš Horníček becoming the fifth Newcastle United summer of the summer transfer window.
The Czech Republic international goalkeeper arriving on a five-year contract and Sporting Braga on their official social media putting out this classy and amusing farewell message about their departing keeper: “From now on, Newcastle it’s the safest city in England.”
In their official statement, Newcastle United said the usual ‘Undisclosed transfer fee’ paid for Lukáš Horníček.
Sporting Braga though were far more open when it came to the cash involved, their statement starting with: ‘SC Braga has reached an agreement with Newcastle United (England) for the permanent transfer of goalkeeper Lukas Hornicek for a fee of €30.578 million.’ At the exchange rate on the day he signed, €30.578 million equated to around £26.2m.
Seven weeks after signing, Lukáš Horníček is away on international football with the Czech Republic and has been talking to the domestic media.
The goalkeeper telling sport.cz about how his move to Newcastle United is working out.
Lukáš Horníček asked “Has Newcastle already taken a liking to you?” and the goalkeeper declaring: “We like it a lot…I had several offers. Newcastle were actually the last to join but they immediately outlined the project to me. They told me what they expected of me and promised me a number one role. Moreover, they acted very quickly and there was no problem with the money that Braga wanted for me. I didn’t hesitate for a minute.”
Lukáš Horníček asked what the first days were like after the transfer? “(Laughs) Scary. I came to the training camp in Spain and there were so many people there that I panicked. I’m terrible with names, I can never remember more than two. So I immediately said to myself, I can’t embarrass myself. But of course I was nervous, everyone was looking at me.”
The keeper asked:“Shortly before your transfer, coach Eddie Howe left. Didn’t that complicate your arrival?”: “I didn’t expect that at all. I had a conversation with the sports director and the goalkeeping coach. We talked about a lot of things, but there was not a word about changing the head coach. It wasn’t until the day before the signing that my agent brought it to my attention. I immediately asked if it changed anything for me, but nothing changed in the agreement at all.”
Lukáš Horníček arrived on the Monday and the following Saturday it was officially announced that Bruno Guimaraes had joined Arsenal: “He was one of the few players I really followed. A Brazilian, so we hit it off and we had a lot of fun in Portuguese. But everyone knew he wanted to make a difference. He left a huge mark on Newcastle and you can see how much he still has the club in his heart. When he scored against Sunderland, he immediately showed with a gesture that his former club was not indifferent to him.”
Lukáš Horníček asked how much parenthood has changed him: “Certainly enough, but for now, since she’s so small, I just play with her. I don’t need to raise her too much…I try to be a funny dad. On the contrary, my girlfriend takes more care of her, puts her to bed and, logically, spends a lot of time together. I want to be connected to her. I’m often away from home and then there’s not that much time. We have to find a way to each other and my girlfriend and I try to take turns doing all the activities. The only thing I’d like to do is put her to sleep. But I can’t do it.”
Lukáš Horníček asked why that is? “I have very big hands and I can’t put her down comfortably. Most of the time she starts crying and calls for her mom.”
The 24-year-old asked if there was fear when making this big move to Newcastle United? “I wouldn’t say that, more like respect. I was facing a new club, a different league and it could have turned out any number of ways. But as I spent more time with the team and got used to it, I found out how great all my teammates, coaches and others at the club were, and I calmed down. The stable performances definitely helped me. So I feel great and actually, thanks to the setup I currently have, I’m even more euphoric than at the beginning. As a little boy, I just played football because I enjoyed it. I never imagined that I would make a living from it, let alone play in the Premier League.”
The keeper asked how his family reacted when he told them about the move to Newcastle United: “(Laughs) My mom had a very funny reaction. She doesn’t watch much football and the first thing she asked was if it (the Premier League) was any good. It was funny and I had to explain to her that I was going to one of the best leagues in the world. She likes to watch me, she even comes to the game. But she doesn’t watch it that much and sometimes she calls me an hour before the game and I have to tell her that I can’t (speak) because I’m going to the pitch. But I’m used to it.”
Lukáš Horníček asked how he feels about theNewcastle United fans: “I have nothing but positive feelings. We have the best fans in England. I have never experienced a better atmosphere anywhere else than here. Whenever we get the ball, I feel like the stadium is going to explode. They are breathing with the team. Unbelievable. (St James’ Park) is an incredible sanctuary. I had the opportunity to make a video for the club’s social media on the roof of the stadium and we were throwing balls down. I have seen the entire stadium. It is a closed stadium with great acoustics, you can hear everything. I have probably never experienced such noise in my life, and if I were to compare it to anything, it would be maybe the Betis Sevilla stadium. But the Magpies are something else.”
Lukáš Horníček Newcastle UnitedLukáš Horníček asked about Pavel Srníček, Newcastle United cult hero and fellow Czech goalkeeper: “We talked about him a lot at the beginning of the engagement. I know very well how big a mark he left at Newcastle and in the Premier League. The neighbours told me that they knew him and the Czech player has an easier time even when talking to the fans. Everyone remembers him.”
Lukáš Horníček asked if the fans shout his nickname when they see him out and about: “(Laughs) Do you mean Hornyczech? I like it. I take it as satire. Fans and guys from social networks came up with it in Braza…I don’t take such a nickname as something negative. It’s more like a sign of recognition. Thank God the guys call me by my full name and not the abbreviation “Horny”…”