Eddie Howe may wave goodbye to one of his senior goalkeepers this month as the Newcastle United boss admits four stoppers may prove to be too many for the second half of the season. Nick Pope has firmly cemented his place in between the sticks for the foreseeable but the return of Martin Dubravka has complicated matters further down the chain.
The former Newcastle No 1 asked to cut short his Manchester United loan this month after failing to find his feet as David de Gea's Old Trafford backup. Dubravka was ushered straight back into Howe's Premier League squad for the trip to Arsenal and started from the outset in the 2-0 defeat to Sheffield Wednesday in the FA Cup.
For Karl Darlow and Loris Karius, questions now remain over their immediate futures at the club. Mark Gillespie, who hasn't played a senior game for the Magpies in the last two seasons, also remains on the books.
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Quizzed over his goalkeeper situation, Howe admitted on Friday one could depart the club this month. "I don't know if they *have* to leave but we'll wait and see what happens," he told reporters.
"It's probably a lot of goalkeepers to have and the key thing is you want every member of the squad to feel valued. That obviously isn't the case for some of them and we'll try to help."
Dubravka burned many bridges with the Geordie faithful by jumping ship after Pope's summer arrival. However, Howe has wasted no time reintegrating the former fan favourite back into his squad.
With the Slovakian featuring in Saturday's FA Cup exit, his Newcastle exit this month looks unlikely. Howe is clearly pleased with what he has seen from the returning goalkeeper, entrusting him with a starting spot just days after his Tyneside return.
Dubravka's return in turn meant a demotion for Darlow who has not featured competitively since the League Cup win over Tranmere earlier this season. The goalkeeper now must decide whether he wants to be the third choice stopper at St James' Park for the first time in years.
However, more questions remain over Karius given the short-term nature of his arrival. Brought in after Darlow suffered a training injury, the former Liverpool man is yet to play for Newcastle in a competitive fixture.
In fact, the German has only made one friendly appearance while the club enjoyed a warm weather trip to Saudi Arabia last month. Karius played the opening 45 minutes of the win over Al-Hilal, impressing fans with his performance.
In the aftermath of that fixture, speculation was rife that Howe was set to extend Karius' deal at Newcastle. Since Dubravka's surprise return, the Toon boss has refused to be drawn on whether a new contract extension will be on the table.
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