Richard Lee has opened up on the discussions that could have taken his former Watford team-mate Ben Foster back to the Premier League with Newcastle United, speaking to The Athletic.
Last week, the one-time England international goalkeeper admitted that he could have extended his lengthy playing career at the Magpies, before hanging up his gloves instead.
Foster, who announced his retirement earlier in September, held talks with Newcastle following an injury to Eddie Howe’s back-up shot-stopper Karl Darlow.
That was before, however, the Tynesiders turned to Loris Karius instead – a man ten years Foster’s junior – tying the former Liverpool glovesman down to a short-term deal that is due to expire at the end of January.
Newcastle United held talks with Ben Foster
“I found out (Foster) was on their contingency list if anything went wrong,” explains Lee, who played alongside the 39-year-old at Vicarage Road and now works as an agent specialising in goalkeepers.
“I asked if he’d be up for Newcastle and his response was; ‘Yes, that sounds very interesting’.”
“(Newcastle’s sporting director Dan Ashworth) was in a meeting with the manager (Howe), discussing the situation. And he said he would call me back. He also called Ben, who he knew from (their time together at) West Brom.”
Foster, Lee says, got cold feet as the negotiations progressed. The former Manchester United youngster eventually turned down offers from both Newcastle and MLS outfit Atlanta United for family reasons, according to The Athletic.
Newcastle sign former Liverpool man Loris Karius instead
“I got the call (from Foster) to say; ‘Rich, I’m not sure’. We had a few more calls and shared a few messages in which it sounded like he was coming round to it. But then I got the final call and I knew at that point it was a no,” Lee adds.
“He’d asked for that figure almost not wanting them to get there. And the moment they accepted it, that provided clarity in his mind that he was done.
“Naturally there’s disappointment because he would have been perfect for the role. It may sound silly, but I was imagining being on that journey to Newcastle; knowing you’ve done a significant deal for a player.
“These are your magic moments. So it was a feeling of deflation after an exciting, adrenaline-fuelled day.”
Darlow is likely to be out of action until the New Year with an ankle injury. November’s EFL Cup clash with Crystal Palace, meanwhile, may offer an opportunity for Karius to kick-start his career on English soil.
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