How an ex-Liverpool defender persuaded Martin Dubravka to join Newcastle United and reach new heights in England

The Magpies have confirmed that Leicester City’s Islam Slimani (pictured below right) will join the club on loan until the end of the season, the striker they hope will ease the fears of relegation from the Premier League.

At the other end of the pitch, Rafa Benitez’s side are pretty well stocked with Karl Darlow and Rob Elliot fighting for the number one jersey at St James’s Park.

Yet it was the man who joined Newcastle around 20 minutes after Slimani, Slovakian goalkeeper Martin Dubravka, who made the biggest impact in the second half of the campaign.

A quick google search would have shown Dubravka, 29 at the time, had made nine appearances for his country and spent the last two years in playing club football in Czech Republic.

Dubravka first signed for the Magpies on loan from Sparta Prague, before a £4million permanent deal was struck between the two clubs last summer.

Wind the clock forward to the start of 2019, and the Slovakian shot-stopper has become Newcastle’s undisputed No.1, starting every league game since his Magpies debut - when he produced a man-of-the-match display against Manchester United at St James’s Park.

His performances have also been recognised by those on the Press benches, after Dubravka was awarded North East Football Writers’ Association Player of the Year for 2018.

It’s been a remarkable rise for a man who wasn’t even sure if he would be first-choice when he first arrived on Tyneside just over a year ago.

“I didn’t know what to expect (when joining Newcastle), nobody told me what kind of position I would come into the team.

“I was trying to do was just show myself in training and show I deserved to be here, I really hope I proved that and now I’m really happy that I can be part of this great club for the long term.”

Just weeks after arriving in the North East, Dubravka attended last year’s annual awards dinner when Newcastle team-mates Jamaal Lascelles and Matt Ritchie took the top prize.

Back then, Dubravka couldn’t have imagined he would be in a similar position, despite always believing in his ability.

“I didn’t expect this. I was hoping I could be part of the starting line-up but obviously you can’t expect that.

“To win this type of trophy is such a big honour for me, I remember last year when Matt and Jamaal won this trophy.

“I expect a lot from myself as well, my friends and family and everyone who know me knows I’m very unhappy if I do a bad pass or something like that so I want to be a credit to myself.”

One of the key factors which persuaded Dubraka to join Newcastle was the prospect of working with Rafa Benitez, one of the leading managers in world football.

To gain an insight about the Premier League and the English game, the Slovakian turned to his compatriot and former Liverpool defender Martin Skrtel, a player who was signed by Benitez on Merseyside.

“I spoke with Martin because he had played at Liverpool and he told me amazing things about Newcastle.

“He told me how it would be to work with one of the best managers in the world which is Rafa Benitez so it was very good advice because it gave me an idea of what to expect.”

Since he joined Newcastle, Dubravka has kept 11 clean sheets in 38 league games - no easy feat when playing for a side who are fighting to avoid relegation.

One of the biggest surprises for Dubravka has been the support he’s received from United’s fans, who have composed their own song about the popular Slovakian.

Dubravka is in the prime position to hear it on a matchday and admits it’s an ‘amazing’ feeling.

“Newcastle fans are amazing, I couldn’t believe they are travelling many hours on the bus, on the train and then coming back.

“I’m in the goal, I can hear everything so it’s even more for me than the rest of the guys because they are so far away.

“It’s an amazing feeling to hear when their chanting your name, an amazing feeling.”

On the song, ‘oh Martin Dubravka’, the shot-stopper added: “It’s something special for me, it means a lot and I know it’s pretty hard to have fans behind you.”

So what next for for the Slovakian, and what can he achieve at Newcastle?

“I really hope the good times are coming because these fans deserve it,” he adds.

“Everybody is dreaming and I have my own dreams as well for this club which really deserves to be much higher in the table.”