185-game ex-Newcastle United star released by Championship club after shock relegation

Krul had spent two seasons at Kenilworth Road, making just half a dozen appearances in all competitions. The Dutchman didn’t feature at all last season, playing second fiddle to Thomas Kaminski throughout the campaign.

Having joined Luton as a Premier League club from Norwich City in August 2023, Krul leaves the Hatters as a League One side following back-to-back relegations. Their relegation from the Championship means they will be playing third-tier football for the first time since 2019 when next season gets underway.

For Krul, though, he now begins a hunt for a new club, eight years after leaving Newcastle United on a free transfer. The 37-year-old, who made his Magpies debut as a teenager against Palermo in the UEFA Cup, had spells at Norwich City and Brighton following his departure from Tyneside.

Tim Krul’s Newcastle United spell

After impressing on debut as an 18-year-old, Krul would have to remain patient to become a regular on Tyneside. Both Shay Given, who departed for Manchester City in 2009, and Steve Harper were first-choice ahead of the Dutchman who had spells on-loan in Scotland and with Carlisle United before eventually becoming Newcastle’s number one.

His big break on Tyneside came during the 2010/11 Premier League season as Krul made 21 league appearances. He followed that up with a 38-game season the next year as the Magpies, under Alan Pardew, finished 5th in the Premier League, securing Europa League football in the process.

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Krul remained a regular fixture in the first-team for the next few seasons, but injury issues plagued his final campaign in the north east as he made just eight appearances in the 2015/16 Premier League season. Rafa Benitez’s appointment as manager saw Krul’s time at Newcastle come to an end with loan spells at Ajax, AZ Alkmaar and Brighton to follow before his permanent departure.

“We decided we would look for different options,” Benitez said on Krul’s departure. “That was a professional decision.

“I told him that, to play, he would have to find a new club. He knew I was looking for a highly experienced goalkeeper in the summer.

“In the end we couldn’t do that but we already had enough keepers and I knew Rob Elliot [the current No1] had Premier League experience.”

Despite ending his time at the club in somewhat of a subdued manner, Krul has always been well regarded by Newcastle fans and has received warm welcomes from supporters when he has returned to St James’ Park as an opposition player. And, of course, that performance against Tottenham Hotspur remains one of the best seen by a goalkeeper in Premier League history.

Krul was a man possessed at White Hart Lane on 10 November 2013, making 14 saves in all to preserve a clean sheet and all three points following Loic Remy’s opener. That performance was a very high point in a season of very few highlights as Newcastle limped to mid-table mediocrity.

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