Newcastle United January transfer for in-form star 'approved' as Eddie Howe snub made public
Eddie Howe shut down a question when asked about Martin Dubravka’s reportedly imminent transfer exit from Newcastle United.
According to Saudi Arabian sources, Dubravka will play his final match for Newcastle in Tuesday’s Carabao Cup semi-final first leg against Arsenal before joining Saudi Pro League side Al-Shabab. Dubravka is out of contract at Newcastle at the end of the season but is in fine form having kept four clean sheets in six appearances for the club this season.
Newcastle have won all six matches since Dubravka came into the side in place of the injured Nick Pope. According to Asharq Al-Awsat, Dubravka’s move to Al-Shabab has been approved by the Saudi Pro League’s Financial Sustainability Committee.
Dubravka has not been offered a new contract at Newcastle and is set to leave the club in 2025 regardless of the interest from Saudi Arabia. But when asked about the potentially imminent exit of his goalkeeper, Newcastle head coach Eddie Howe snubbed the question and switched his focus to the Arsenal match.
“No, we're just concentrating on the games,” Howe said. “A massive game against Tottenham, a massive game against Arsenal. We're just focusing on the games and nothing else.”
Howe had previously been more open when discussing Dubravka’s future at Newcastle. Last week, The Magpies boss suggested that the club would respect the goalkeeper’s wishes should he want to leave the club this month.
“The situation with Martin is, we would not want him to leave but of course you have to respect and understand the player’s wishes as well in this,” Howe said. “It’s not as clear-cut as everyone would necessarily have you think.
“Martin is out-of-contract as well in the summer so that is a different dynamic to add into the mix. It’s all hypothetical.
“Martin is and has been fully committed, I think he’s been outstanding and a brilliant professional to work with. I’ve got a lot of respect for him and I think he’s done really well when you consider he didn’t play a lot of football when coming into the team. Fair to play him and how he’s handled that situation.”
Nick Pope is set to return from injury later this month with the Premier League fixture against AFC Bournemouth scheduled as a potential return date based on his initial injury prognosis.