'Long way to go': Martin Dubravka's Saudi Arabia move not as close as once thought - journalist

Martin Dubravka is currently occupying the first-team goalkeeper spot for Newcastle United while Nick Pope is recovering from a knee injury.

The Slovakian has been at Newcastle since 2018 but rumours have heavily suggested that Tuesday night's Carabao Cup win over Arsenal may have been Dubravka's last game for the Magpies.

Indeed, his teary goodbye as fans sang his name at full-time certainly added credence to those rumours.

However, Eddie Howe has iterated his desire to keep Dubravka, even suggesting he'd be willing to offer him a new contract, while Paul Mitchell is once again pushing for a departure.

Martin Dubravka's tears may have all been for nought on Tuesday night

Once again, Eddie Howe's refusal to let players could hamper Newcastle's bottom line, but given that Pope isn't fit and Howe doesn't seem to fancy Odysseas Vlachodimos, we can understand his point of view this time.

Now, journalist Luke Edwards has suggested that Eddie Howe could be winning the tug-of-war saying that the deal for Dubravka's move to Al-Shabab is not done yet, despite reports to the contrary.

"Still far from certain Martin Dubravka will leave #nufc this month. Deal not agreed and a feeling his emotional goodbye at Arsenal may well have been premature. Long way to go in this transfer window of course…"

With no incoming replacement letting Dubravka move could be a mistake

Newcastle fans may actually be relieved to hear this as Dubravka's form since returning to the starting lineup has been fantastic. Granted, he's not had many saves to make as those in front of him have been rock solid, but those players seem a lot more confident in passing back to their 'keeper than they would be if Nick Pope and his massive clown shoes were in goal.

Dubravka's confidence on the ball and his distribution are levels above Nick Pope's, and when you're not relying on a shot-stopper as much, it helps to have a confident sweeper-keeper.

If a replacement is found, which is expected to be Burnley's James Trafford, then sanctioning Dubravka's move isn't as much of a big deal, but as things stand, we definitely understand Howe's point of view.