Journalist Andrew Musgrove has urged Eddie Howe to do all that he can to persuade Newcastle United goalkeeper Martin Dubravka to stay at the club.
Earlier on in the summer, the Magpies splashed the cash to sign Nick Pope and the Englishman was trusted to start the club’s Premier League opener against Nottingham Forest – keeping a clean sheet in the 2-0 victory.
However, this meant Dubravka has been relegated to a position on the bench, and he could be set to leave Newcastle soon amid recent links to Leicester City.
In light of this, while speaking on the Everything is Black and White podcast, Musgrove said that Howe should be doing what he can to keep the goalkeeper on as a ‘good quality backup’.
He explained: “If you’re Eddie Howe, you’re going to do everything to persuade Martin Dubravka to stay on.
“Because you want a really good quality backup – someone pushing your number one.”
Will Martin Dubravka be at NUFC when the transfer market shuts?
Yes
No
TIF Thoughts on Martin Dubravka and Newcastle…
After returning from injury, Dubravka was a mainstay in the Newcastle side last season, playing in every one of the club’s last 26 Premier League games.
However, that run in the team came to an end at the start of the new campaign due to the summer signing of Pope from Burnley.
Howe obviously trusted the Slovakian in the past, but must feel as though he can improve upon the goalkeeper. As per SofaScore, Pope averaged a player match rating of 6.99 in the league last term, while Dubravka managed 6.88.
So there isn’t much between the two, which does suggest that Howe probably would be pretty keen to keep the current backup man around to provide quality competition. Still, that’s easier said than done with Dubravka quite possibly keen to join a club where he is guaranteed more starts.