Eddie Howe signing at Newcastle United considers shock retirement at 31
Loris Karius has revealed Eddie Howe wanted to keep him at Newcastle United for another year.
Signed in 2022 before penning a one-year extension the following summer, the German only made two appearances for the Magpies. Karius famously debuted for Newcastle in the Carabao Cup final - arguably the club’s biggest game this century.
He left in the summer and has yet to find another club despite several ambitious reports. One source suggested Barcelona were interested in the former Liverpool man after Marc-Andre ter Stegen suffered a season-ending injury.
Karius has now shared how Newcastle wanted to keep him as a backup goalkeeper this season. The 31-year-old told Sport Bible: “It didn’t really make sense to me to do a third year. I don’t know. I asked myself, ‘Was I the second-choice and would I get games?’ It was difficult.
“The coach would have liked to keep me but, all in all, the whole package didn’t make sense for a third year. It made sense to move on. They were two great years but it was time for a change. In the second season, when (Nick) Pope was injured, I expected, or hoped, to play games,” he said.
“In the end, there was always a reason why it didn’t happen. That’s the only thing I look back on with regret because if I had played the second half of that season, then we probably wouldn’t be talking now and I’d be at another club, starting afresh. But that’s football. You can’t change it.”
Karius conceded that he may need to “consider” retirement due to the lack of offers. He added: “If you’ve been out for as long as I have then you obviously have to consider retirement. I haven’t made a decision yet because there’s no need to. I’m still fit. I still have all the potential and the ability.”