A big update has emerged on Newcastle United and their plans for Martin Dubravka this summer...
What's the talk?
According to 90min, the Magpies are willing to let the shot-stopper leave at the end of the season as they will not put up a fight if another team comes calling for him.
The report also claims that they are leading the race to land Manchester United goalkeeper Dean Henderson on a permanent deal.
Disaster
PIF are heading for a major disaster with this decision and must complete a U-turn before they crash.
Allowing Dubravka to leave Darsley Park in the summer would be a baffling move given the quality he has displayed in the Premier League this season but there are multiple reasons why selling him would be a mistake.
Firstly, they would be losing a proven player who they know has what it takes to play in black and white in the top-flight, with 33 clean sheets in 118 Premier League games. He is not an underperforming player who must be axed from the squad immediately and is instead a consistent performer who can be relied upon.
Paul Robinson previously dubbed him an "inspirational signing" and the £44k-per-week colossus' displays this term reflect that. He has kept three Premier League clean sheets in his last nine games whilst averaging a solid SofaScore rating of 6.84 over the course of the campaign - showing that he has been a steady pair of hands between the sticks.
Furthermore, he has made a string of "world-class" saves throughout his time at St James' Park and without him, they'd clearly be worse off.
Secondly, Even if Henderson comes through the door to replace him, that does not mean that he is unable to contribute anything to the club. He would be a sublime back-up goalkeeper, due to the reasons listed above, and would be able to push the current Red Devils 'keeper for his spot - potentially helping him to improve by motivating him to work harder in training.
Keeping him as the number two would also allow the club to finally axe Karl Darlow. He is the current back-up at St. James' Park and struggled badly earlier this season whilst Dubravka was out injured, averaging a terrible SofaScore rating of 6.43 across eight starts.
His poor form suggests that he is not good enough to be relied upon to play games in the top-flight. This is why retaining Dubravka to compete with Henderson is a move the club must make, or else they will be sleepwalking into a disaster.
AND in other news, Howe must now brutally axe £50k-p/w Newcastle "liability" who's "embarrassingly bad"...