Newcastle United star Eddie Howe wants to keep ‘not sure’ if he’ll stay at St James’ Park

Martin Dubravka was asked about his Newcastle United future after the 1-1 draw at Chelsea.
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Martin Dubravka doesn’t know if he’ll be at Newcastle United next season - despite Eddie Howe’s eagerness to retain the Slovakian’s services.

The 34-year-old made his first Premier League start in 12 months as he helped the Magpies end their remarkable 2022-23 Premier League campaign with a 1-1 draw at Chelsea on Sunday.

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Dubravka spent the first half of the campaign on loan at Manchester United after pushing for the move in light of Nick Pope’s £12million arrival from Burnley. However, he requested to be recalled in January having made just two Carabao Cup appearances.

Newcastle United goalkeeper Martin Dubravka.Newcastle United goalkeeper Martin Dubravka.
Newcastle United goalkeeper Martin Dubravka.

His game time hasn’t improved much since returning to Tyneside, with the former Sparta Prague man featuring on just three occasions. He remains under contract until 2025 but still has ambitions of being a No.1 goalkeeper.

Asked about his future, Dubravka said: “I think it’s normal everyone who has ambition wants to play. But I’m still part of the journey and part of the team which is successful. I don’t know what’s going to happen after the summer, obviously.

“I had a conversation with Eddie. We had an open conversation about the future.It’s hard to say now, because it’s the end of the season now, and no one really knows what will happen. It’s hard to give you some answers.

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“Now I just want to switch off. I have two international games to focus on. That’s my priority now.”

Magpies head coach Eddie Howe has already made it clear he wants Dubravka to stay. Indeed, he had the same stance last summer but respected the player’s wishes to join Man United.

Should Dubravka want to pursue an opportunity elsewhere, it’s unlikely Howe will stand in the goalkeeper’s way.

“I very much hope his future is here,” Howe said. “I rate Martin very highly and always have done, it’s just last summer we had the opportunity to recruit Nick and Nick’s done incredibly well.

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“It’s been difficult for Martin to get the game time he wants but we need a good squad going into a season with loads of games. If Martin were to stay then I think he’d get a lot of football.”

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