Newcastle United had a frantic summer transfer window as they aimed to replace Alexander Isak at length, seeing a number of stars in and out of the club – but Alan Shearer continues to ensure they’ll regret selling another of their stars in the off-season.
Newcastle managed to bring in Nick Woltemade, Yoane Wissa, Malick Thiaw and Anthony Elanga among others in the window, though Alexander Isak moved to Liverpool in a £125million deal, and so their squad looks vastly different to how it did last season.
That hasn’t given them the best start to life in the Premier League, winning just two of their eight games so far as Eddie Howe’s side sit 14th in the table.
[
Click to subscribe to the podcast ](https://www.youtube.com/@BeyondTheBackFour?sub_confirmation=1)
And that may be even harder to take with Alan Shearer naming Burnley goalkeeper Martin Dubravka as the standout goalkeeper of the week, with Newcastle selling Dubravka for just £2million over the summer.
Alan Shearer ahead of Tottenham Hotspur v Newcastle United in the Premier League
Photo by Serena Taylor/Newcastle United via Getty Images
Alan Shearer names ex-Newcastle star Martin Dubravka in his Team of the Week again
With two clean sheets in eight games in the league, Martin Dubravka has done well to keep Burnley out of the bottom three so far – and despite conceding 15 goals, none have actually been his fault so far.
The 36-year-old’s performance against Leeds saw him keep out Brenden Aaronson in a one-on-one, whilst Anton Stach, Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Jayden Bogle were all thwarted by the veteran as the Clarets earned their second home win of the season.
And that has seen Shearer laud the Magpies icon for his ‘immense’ campaign with the Clarets after keeping Leeds out. He said on the Premier League’s official website when naming his Team of the Week:
“Immense.
“Made some brilliant saves, as he has done all season, to keep a clean sheet and help Burnley earn a vital win against Leeds.”
It’s not the first time Shearer has chosen the former Sparta Prague star in his team. Dubravka was included in Shearer’s side after a 1-1 draw with Nottingham Forest, where he was influential and got another home point on board for the Clarets.
Alan Shearer isn’t wrong about Martin Dubravka’s influence for Burnley. Per FBREF, only four goalkeepers have a better amount of expected saves in the division, whilst the Slovakian’s four saves per game on average rank him in the top three percent of goalkeepers in the Premier League.
He was unfortunate not to have kept a clean sheet against Liverpool in the Premier League, but for a last-minute handball by midfielder Hannibal gifting the Reds a penalty, and Burnley fans are mightily impressed by his start to life at Turf Moor.
Martin Dubravka celebrates Burnley's equaliser vs Manchester City in the Premier League
Photo by James Gill – Danehouse/Getty Images
Newcastle may regret Martin Dubravka sale
However, it could mean that Newcastle have missed a trick by selling the veteran.
Dubravka largely battled with Nick Pope last season for the first-team shirt, making 10 appearances for Newcastle from mid-December until mid-February.
That coincided with a run of six successive wins, before shock home losses to Bournemouth and Fulham around the turn of February.
However, Nick Pope was criticised for his performance against Arsenal in late September after his failed counter-attack ended up with the Gunners stealing a 2-1 win at St. James’ Park, and Aaron Ramsdale’s move to Newcastle has seen the England international feature only in a 4-1 win over Bradford City in the Carabao Cup.
Ramsdale’s loan deal cost Newcastle £4million, and he has shown no signs of remaining in their ranks. Not only was it money wasted, but Dubravka knew the club and having him as an alternative to Pope would perhaps have been instrumental.