Ex-Newcastle United ace & sixth most used player of Rafa Benitez era still a free agent after transfer collapse

He boasts over a decade of top-flight experience, is the sixth most used player of the Rafael Benitez era, the 21st most used Newcastle player in the Premier League era and someone who has started games under six different Magpies managers.

He is one of the few players to see Newcastle climb from the Championship to the Champions League, and was even starting in victories over Manchester City and Manchester United as recently as last season. But for the first time in 23 years Paul Dummett is without a club and still searching for a new challenge for the remainder of the 2024/25 campaign.

He was the subject of rampant speculation over a move to Sheffield United in the Championship and ultimately failed to seal a reunion with Matt Ritchie at Portsmouth as talks broke down.

Paul Dummett’s career so far

Paul Dummett grew up a Newcastle United fan and was a season ticket holder before joining the club’s academy at the age of eight. His lifetime ambition was to play for Newcastle and he achieved that by playing 213 times for his boyhood club. Dummett was handed his first professional contract in 2010 and after captaining the reserve team for several years, he got his first taste of professional football with Gateshead in the National League. During that period he kept six clean sheets in 10 appearances.

His form at Gateshead earned him a loan move to the Scottish Premiership with St Mirren in 2012/13, where he would form part of the team which lifted the Scottish League Cup for the first time in the club’s history. Dummett was fast tracked into Alan Pardew’s Newcastle team in August 2013 after his impressive performances in Paisley. 

He made his first team debut as a substitute in a 4-0 defeat to Manchester City and in his second competitive appearance, which also came as a substitute, he made his first notable contribution in Black and White by scoring the equalising header against Liverpool in a 2-2 draw. The five-time Wales international went on to play 18 times that season, helping the club to a top half finish. He remained a useful utility player under the likes of John Carver and Steve McClaren after Alan Pardew’s departure but it was after the appointment of Rafa Benitez that Dummett would produce the best form of his Newcastle career.

Dummett played 45 Championship matches for Newcastle and was a near ever present in the team which regained promotion by winning the title. Benitez’s team conceded just 40 times in 46 games, giving them the best defensive record in the league and Dummett was critical to that success.

The Newcastle-born defender played 46 league matches for Benitez in the top-flight to help Newcastle to survival. He fell slightly down the pecking order under Steve Bruce due to injuries but still racked up a further 31 top-flight appearances. Dummett’s status as one of Newcastle’s main options started to diminish after the appointment of Eddie Howe and the fresh injection of investment through the Saudi-backed takeover.

However, he is someone who was crucial behind the scenes in driving up the standards and providing leadership and advice to some of the younger players.

“Although I haven’t played as much as I would have liked,  what an incredible journey it’s been. Eddie is an amazing leader - his work ethic, honesty and belief has been nothing short of inspiring. I am honoured to have had the opportunity to work with.” Dummett said in a farewell post to Newcastle fans on Instagram.