'Fancies a bit of that': Chris Sutton urges 'excellent' Newcastle man to leave the club this summer

Newcastle United have plenty of business to do this summer both in terms of incoming players and outgoing.

There are plenty of players still on Newcastle's books from the "before times" of which we would rather not speak. Eddie Howe has improved the vast majority of them and got them up to an acceptable level, while others are past their peak and probably need to be moved on.

Paul Dummett and Matt Ritchie have already departed the club after their contracts were allowed to expire. Both were excellent servants of Newcastle United but the upward trajectory of the club has now surpassed what they can bring to the table.

Another player who falls into that category is goalkeeper Martin Dubravka who spent much of last season as first-choice after Nick Pope was sidelined with a shoulder injury.

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Newcastle had a poor defensive record with Dubravka between the sticks

The GA column in the final Premier League table showed just how much we missed Pope with Dubravka conceding 42 goals in just 23 games.

Newcastle have let one goalkeeper leave already in the form of Loris Karius, who, like Ritchie and Dummett, left after his contract ran down. Dubravka still has a year left on his contract, but he knows that his days of being first and probably even second-choice at the club are over, with Burnley youngster James Trafford reportedly on his way to the northeast.

Scottish Premier League champions Celtic are said to be very interested in Martin Dubravka after former England stopped Joe Hart hung up his boots at the end of the season.

Chris Sutton feels Dubravka has an easy choice to make

Now former Celtic striker Chris Sutton has written in the Daily Record to give his two pence worth as to what Dubravka should do next suggesting that the man his agent dubbed as 'excellent' faces a pretty easy decision.

“He’s played a lot of games for Newcastle in the last year but isn’t going to be first choice.

“There’s every chance he saw what Hart achieved at Celtic and fancies a bit of that himself. Does he sit tight and ride out his final year at Newcastle as a backup, or perhaps drop down the division in England to get a regular game?

“Or does he come to Celtic, play every week and be in with the chance of winning silverware, while playing in the Champions League? I know what I’d be doing.”

It's a fair point well made. If Dubravka wants a lift to Glasgow I'm free pretty much any time.