​Newcastle United have signed goalkeeper Lukas Hornicek from Braga in a deal worth £25.7m. The 24-year-old joins on a five-year contract after Newcastle met his release clause with the Portuguese club, and he has been brought in to be the team’s first-choice goalkeeper.The Czech Republic international becomes Newcastle’s fifth summer signing, following the arrivals of Ewen Jaouen, Bazoumana Toure, Sean Steur and Aladji Bamba. It is a rebuild being carried out at pace, and Hornicek arrives as the man tasked with settling one of the few remaining questions in Newcastle’s squad.An Emotional Few DaysHornicek described the speed of the move and what it meant to arrive at St James’ Park. “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,” he said.“It’s a brilliant opportunity in a new league, which I’m very excited about,” he added. “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.”He also spoke about what awaits him on matchdays. “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,” Hornicek said.The Goalkeeper Newcastle NeededNewcastle head into the new season needing a settled option between the posts after two goalkeepers left the club this summer. Odysseas Vlachodimos has gone out on loan to Sevilla and John Ruddy was released, leaving a gap that Newcastle have moved to fill early rather than risk entering the campaign short of options.Hornicek’s rise to that position has been rapid. Born in Vysoke Myto in the Czech Republic, he came through the youth ranks at Sokol Dobrikov and Pardubice before joining Braga, initially on a trial loan, and his move there permanently was reported as the biggest sale in Pardubice’s history at the time. He kept nine clean sheets in 24 competitive matches for Braga in the 2024/25 season, including eight in the Portuguese top flight, before an even stronger follow-up campaign in which he kept 12 clean sheets in 33 league matches with a save percentage above 69%.He leaves a Braga side that finished fourth in the Primeira Liga last season and reached the semi-finals of the Europa League, results that qualified the club for continental football again this coming campaign. Braga are one of the more consistent forces outside Portugal’s traditional big three of Benfica, Porto and Sporting Lisbon, and Hornicek’s performances behind a well-organised defence played a part in establishing that position. Losing their goalkeeper to a Premier League release clause is the kind of transaction a club of Braga’s size has come to expect when a player of his calibre emerges from the academy pipeline.Following a Well-Worn PathHornicek is not the first Czech goalkeeper to try