On Tuesday night, Newcastle United fans got a result they will cherish for a very long time.
Goals from Alexander Isak and then Anthony Gordon either side of half-time saw the Magpies beat Arsenal 2-0 in north London in the first leg of their EFL Cup semi-final.
The 6,000 Geordies who filled the Clock End concluded the evening by singing their own unique rendition of “Que Sera, Sera” and, although they have yet to approve their place at Wembley, as noted Tom Ede on Twitterof the previous 31 teams who have won the first leg of an away League Cup semi-final, 29 of them have reached the final, suggesting they have a good chance.
It was a particularly emotional evening for one Newcastle player in particular, given it was perhaps his 171st and final appearance for the club.
Newcastle star on exit
As reported Fabrizio Romano on TwitterNewcastle have agreed a deal “in principle” to sell Martin Dúbravka to Saudi Arabian Pro League side Al-Shabab.
The White Lions are currently sixth in the Saudi top flight and are managed by Turkish legend Fatih Terim, while their team includes some familiar faces like Yannick Carrasco, Giacomo Bonaventura, Wesley Hoedt once from Southampton and former Wolves winger Daniel Podence.
As noted Simo Frigolé on TwitterAl-Shabab’s first-choice goalkeeper Kim Seung-gyu ruptured his anterior cruciate ligament for the second time in less than a year, doing so in a recent victory over Al-Orobahthat’s why they’re on the market this month.
Martin Hardy of time hails Dúbravaka as a “fantastic servant” of Newcastle, reporting that the Magpies will receive around £4.5 million for his signing, if the deal is completed.
When the Slovak shooter arrived in the Northeast from Sparta Prague for £4.3 million in January 2018he made an immediate impact, a key figure in avoiding relegation.
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In 2019/20 he was appointed Newcastle United Player of the Year and has been a fan favorite since day one.
With the Toon Army heading into Wembley, Dúbravka looks destined to never play in a League Cup final, having been tied for the 2023 final, having played two matches on loan for Manchester United’s opponents earlier in the competition, that is, uniquely, despite his team’s defeat that day, he won a winner’s medal.
Now he looks set to go before the Magpies surely face Liverpool or Tottenham in the March final.
Why is now the right time for Dúbravka to leave Tyneside
Newcastle are under pressure to sell players in order to comply with Premier League guidelines Profit and sustainability ruleswith Eddie Howe declaring that “commercial logic takes precedence over football logic…we were forced to [sell players in June]… I think we’re still in that position.”
Given that Dúbravka is 35 years old, and is at the end of his contract in Junehe’s an obvious player to take advantage of.
What makes the timing tricky is the fact that the Slovakian has started every one of Newcastle’s matches. last seven matchesall victories in which he kept five clean sheets, while Nick Pope nursed a knee ligament problem suffered at Brentford.
However, the Magpies actually have five senior goalkeepers in their ranks.
Odysseas Vlachodimos, who has only played 45 minutes of action so far, arrived from Nottingham Forest. for £20 millionwith Elliot Anderson going the other way for £30 millionas both clubs circumvented PSR violations.
They also have senior goalkeepers Mark Gillespie and John Ruddy, in case of emergency, but Vlachodimos, who The Athletic’s Chris Waugh and George Caulkin described as the “£20 million keeper they didn’t want”, would be Pope’s obvious deputy, but how does the Greek number one compare to Dúbravka?
Dúbravka vs. Vlachodimos (22/23-24/25) | ||
|---|---|---|
Statistical | Dubravka | Vlachodimos |
Appearances | 61 | 78 |
Minutes | 5,427 | 7,019 |
Save | 180 | 125 |
To safeguard % | 74.9% | 69.5% |
Goals conceded | 69 | 66 |
Clean sheets | 25 | 39 |
Post-shot xG – goals allowed | +2.4 | -4 |
% success | 78.2% | 81.2% |
As the data above shows, since the start of the 2022/23 season, Dúbravka has been a more reliable goalkeeper than Vlachodimos, despite the fact that the Greek goalkeeper spent the first of those campaigns with Benfica, winning the Primeira title Liga.
Post Shot Expected Goals (PSxG) is a metric used to determine the likelihood of a goalkeeper saving a shot.
However, Vlachodimos is not worse enough for Dúbravka to be a major loss.
After all, we’re only talking about who Nick Pope’s replacement will be, and given Newcastle seem stuck with Vlachodimos, they might as well use him more than the second half of a EFL Cup match against AFC Wimbledon which he has featured in so far.
This will tell us who will don the gloves for Sunday’s FA Cup match against Bromley at St James’ Park.
Related
Forget Isak: 8/10 Newcastle star proved he’s one of Howe’s ‘best signings’
Newcastle beat Arsenal 2-0 at the Emirates to take control of their Carabao Cup semi-final.
