Newcastle boss Eddie Howe does not want in-form keeper Martin Dubravka to leave the club this month after watching him play a key role in the club’s return to top form.
However, the Magpies head coach knows he may be fighting a losing battle with the Slovakia international, who turns 36 on January 15 and is out of contract at the end of the season, desperate for regular first-team football and being courted by Saudi Pro League side Al Shabab.
Dubravka – a £4.3million signing from Sparta Prague during Rafael Benitez’s reign at St James’ Park -has kept four clean sheets in five appearances since replacing the injured Nick Pope, who has returned to training but is still some way from full match fitness.
Asked ahead of Saturday’s Premier League trip to Tottenham if he could leave during the current transfer window, Howe replied: “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. 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’s a different dynamic to add into the mix. But it’s all hypothetical. Martin is and has been fully committed. He’s been outstanding, he’s been a brilliant professional to work with.”
Dubravka is one of several Newcastle players currently being linked with a move away from Tyneside with striker Alexander Isak, who has scored 11 goals in his last 11 league games, being touted once again as a target for Arsenal, while Bruno Guimaraes and Anthony Gordon have been linked with Manchester City and Liverpool respectively.
Howe, however, remains relaxed amid fevered speculation.
He said: “There’ll be so much talk and noise and rumour. You can’t control it all – you can’t even begin to try, so you just have to ignore it and just focus on the facts.”
The Magpies have invested in the region of £450million in new signings since their Saudi-backed owners took charge in October 2021, but have largely kept their powder dry in recent windows with profitability and sustainability rules limiting their involvement.
They have been credited with an interest in Manchester City’s £100million England midfielder Jack Grealish, although that looks fanciful with Howe admitting he is not currently in a position to sign that stature of player.
Eddie Howe on Sven Botman:
“I always said Sven will be in and around the Christmas games, he has worked incredibly hard to get himself into a good condition, he has had three games, he is in and around my thoughts. I will have to make a decision on who best fits that position,… pic.twitter.com/z71NmN0aKw
— Newcastle United (@NUFC) January 3, 2025
Asked if he had the ability to consider an acquisition of that type, he replied: “Financially? I don’t believe currently we have.”
Howe’s more immediate concern is extending a run of four successive league wins which has taken the club into the top five ahead of the Spurs clash.
He will have to do without suspended central defender Fabian Schar, who will leave a gap likely to be plugged by either Lloyd Kelly or Sven Botman, the latter of whom has not played a senior game since March after undergoing knee surgery.
