Eddie Howe has told Martin Dubravka he’d ‘get a lot of football’ next season if he stays at the club and is hoping to strike an agreement to keep Paul Dummett on Tyneside for another year.
The 45-year-old has made it clear that he rates our backup keeper ‘very highly’ and has implored him to stay, feeling our packed schedule in 2023/24 will offer him increased game time.
The Slovakian’s future at the club looked to be coming to an end after the arrival of Nick Pope, but Howe is keen to keep hold of the experienced shot-stopper to aid squad rotation.
Paul Dummett is another who Howe is fond of and is aiming to keep a hold of this summer, despite his expiring contract, for added depth in our defence which is currently lacking in numbers. He’s barely kicked a ball since the boss came in, but his influence behind-the-scenes has been hailed.
The Geordie defender has at the club for over two decades and, according to Howe, has ‘trained superbly’. Here’s Howe’s quotes on both:
Howe on Martin Dubravka:
“I very much hope his future is here. I rate Martin very highly, I always have done.
“It was just that last summer we had the opportunity to recruit Nick, and Nick has done incredibly well so it’s been difficult for Martin to get the game time that he wants.
“We need as good a squad as we can have going into a season where we’re going to have loads of games, so if Martin were to stay, I think he’d get a lot of football.”
Howe on Paul Dummett:
“I hope we can come to an agreement with Paul and he will stay for next year. I think he is a vital part behind the scenes of our success this year.
“He’s trained superbly and his commitment to Newcastle is undoubted. We’d love him to extend his stay.”
