Newcastle opinion – Benitez must keep hold of Dubravka amidst Juve interest

According to a report in Daily Star, Italian giants Juventus are keeping close tabs on Newcastle United goalkeeper Martin Dubravka, the player’s agent confirmed.

The Slovakian arrived at Tyneside last January and made an immediate impact at the club. He was given the first-choice role straightaway by manager Rafa Benitez when he initially joined on loan from Inter Milan.

The 30-year-old later signed a permanent deal in the summer of 2018 for a fee of around £4m. Newcastle want to extend his contract soon in order to ward off interests from the big clubs (h/t Daily Star).

Juventus have former Arsenal man Wojciech Szczesny as their number one keeper. However, they are looking to make a swoop for Dubravka to increase competition for that position (h/t Daily Star).

That being said, here’s why the Magpies must keep hold of the Slovakian stopper amidst interest from the Old Lady:

Newcastle have to keep their best players for continuity

Before Dubravka came to the team, the likes of Rob Elliot and Karl Darlow didn’t exude much confidence in the Newcastle goal. As a result, the defence looked nervy and everything never looked in the right place.

But since the arrival of the 30-year-old, his self-assured goalkeeping has helped the defence and the team in general massively. He commands the box well and is good at making the right decisions at the right time.

If a defender sees a calming presence in goal, he also becomes a better version of himself and the base of the team becomes solid. Under Benitez, Newcastle have been watertight at the back, conceding 40 goals in 31 games this season; only the top seven teams have shipped in less than that.

Hence, having a good goalkeeper makes a whole lot of difference to the behaviour of the team on the field. Hence, it is imperative from the Magpies’ viewpoint that they keep hold of Dubravka beyond this summer.

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Conclusion

Newcastle are slowly progressing well as a club. If they are to make positive strides in the upcoming seasons, the first thing to be done is to tie down their best players to long-term futures at the club.