Celtic are in the market for a goalkeeper this summer and Newcastle United’s Martin Dubravka is on their radar.
According to reports, the Slovakia international is free to leave the North East amid news that Burnley goalkeeper James Trafford is close to completing a transfer to St James’ Park.
Dubravka hasn’t ruled out a move to Celtic after being asked about speculation linking him with a Parkhead switch. He admits he would consider a ‘concrete’ proposal, although the 35-year-old did also hint rumours are nothing more than speculation at this point.
Newcastle United’s need to meet Profit and Sustainability regulations could also help Brendan Rodgers land the veteran stopper as the Magpies look to balance the books.
Yesterday, the former Sparta Prague man gave an indication of his credentials at EURO 2024 against Belgium. 67 Hail Hail take a look at how he got on.
Martin Dubravka’s impressive performance vs Belgium
Slovakia were anticipated to be up against it when they took to the field against Belgium yesterday; however, they put on a fantastic collective display, securing a 1-0 victory courtesy of Ivan Schranz in the seventh minute.
Despite having to withstand pressure, Francesco Calzona’s men emerged with three points, putting themselves in contention to qualify from Group B at Deutsche Bank Park.
Per Fotmob, Dubravka was an inspired presence for Slovakia, making five stops to deny the Red Devils, three of which came from inside the area. He thwarted Belgium admirably despite facing an Expected Goal tally of 1.02, and the outlet awarded him a deserved match rating of 8.2/10 for his exploits.
Keeping a clean sheet at a major tournament is no mean feat, and his ability to marshal the Falcons’ backline was a notable feature of their surprise triumph.
Dubravka also made eight recoveries, illustrating his awareness to danger. Evaluating his distribution, the Magpies’ goalkeeper completed 25 out of his 47 passes (53%) and found his intended target with 12 from his 32 attempted long balls (38%).
In the first-half, he did take a risk in possesion that led to Leandro Trossard having an opportunity to level, but much to his delight, the Arsenal forward could only direct his lobbed effort over the bar.
With Celtic known to be keen on Dubravka, his shot-stopping ability is at a very high level. There is a reason he played 30 times for Newcaste in 2023/24 and it is clear he still has plenty to offer for a few years to come.
Should all parties manage to come to an agreement, he would be an astute signing for the Bhoys to replace Joe Hart.