Many Toon fans understand how underrated Martin Dúbravka has been over the last six years. Although he had a brief cameo at Manchester United and landed himself a League Cup winners medal in the process, Martin has been an integral part of the transitionary period for the Toon following the takeover and the raft of new names that have come in.
While he might have found himself second in line to Nick Pope, we’ve seen that he can still do the job when he’s brought in at short notice. It’s clear to Toon fans who watched us last year that a backup keeper is a key point we need to strengthen, with Pope’s absence being one of the most notable reasons why we didn’t repeat another top-four finish.
Exploring the transfer markets
We wouldn’t say that the sportsbooks and their transfer markets should be taken as gospel, but they do have a ring of truth to them sometimes. We’ll admit that while our backup keeper moving to Celtic is going to be the biggest transfer betting market of the summer, you can often get a good picture of what Howe is looking to do by eyeing up the markets for certain players.
Pedro Neto and Raheem Sterling have been linked with a move to St James this summer, and the bookies seem to think both these rumours have legs. With Manchester City, Arsenal and Liverpool reportedly being keen on signing Pedro Neto, there’s a slim chance he’s going to make the trip up to the northeast, and the bookies aren’t confident anything will happen. Stranger things have happened over the years, especially at St James Park.
The best live betting sites will keep you updated on these markets; we know how suddenly they can change and how much spiel there is on Twitter. Dúbravka seems resigned to the fact that he has played his last game in a Newcastle jersey. Howe is clearly looking to bring in a few fresh faces after a somewhat disappointing campaign in which we failed to capitalise on the Champions League qualification of the previous season.
Addressing the rumours
Martin has remained tight-lipped on the transfer saga over the last few weeks, but he has had a chance to discuss it with the media in Slovakia in the build-up to their Euros campaign. Earlier this month, he said: “If there is no official offer, I don’t deal with it.” This doesn’t give us too much to deal with.
However, in the same interview from a few weeks ago, he also touched on the fact that Celtic tried to pry him away from Tyneside last summer. While discussions among Toon fans last year were on the fence about Martin leaving, it’s become clear this year that we do need to strengthen. Once the Euros are over, judging by Martin’s tone at least, it feels like he will be on his way.
Possible replacements
The arrival of any new goalkeeper will all but confirm Martin’s departure from the club. If Howe cannot secure any new goalkeeper signings, the Slovakian could stay as a third choice, given that Loris Karius has been released.
Still, he won’t likely be too keen on that idea, and Howe is probably happy to let him go if the fee is right. The James Trafford negotiations seem to be moving along smoothly, and that deal should be finalised within the next few weeks, perhaps even days. We can’t see them messing around, and with the distraction of the Euros taking place, it’s a good time to sign players who aren’t on international duty, away from the usual summer heat that the media like to bring.
There’s been no official line of communication from the club yet, but John Ruddy rumours are gathering momentum, and we have spoken to a few Toon fans who think this one has legs. We imagine the club will hold an emergency press conference in the middle of the night to announce this one.
All jokes aside, if there’s such a persistent search for multiple goalkeepers, Martin isn’t stupid; he will read between the lines and know there’s an indirect message for him to get on his bike — Celtic seems to be where he will go, and Trafford will be his replacement.
Final thoughts
Dúbravka definitely still has something to give; he’d be a much better third-choice keeper than Ruddy, in our opinion, but with Celtic reportedly his destination of choice and Brendan Rodgers keen to work with the Slovakian, we expect a move north over the border to play regular football for the Scottish champions is probably a better offer than sitting in the Newcastle reserves seeing out the latter stages of his career.
Celtic seems keen on the move, but it won’t gather momentum until after the Euros or if Slovakia goes out in the group stages. Dúbravka is a pragmatic individual; he addresses rumours head-on and has been clear that Celtic were in for him last year too. We expect him to head further north to see out his footballing days.
Despite this, he’s been a great servant for the Toon since 2018, clocking up over 140 games and providing welcome, needed relief when Nick Pope found himself out with a long-term injury or suspension.
