Highlights
- Newcastle United’s recent form has been a cause for concern, with three consecutive defeats threatening to push them further away from the top four battle.
- Despite having an impressive squad, goalkeeper Loris Karius has expressed his desire to leave the club, citing the need for regular playing time.
- Karius’ career has suffered since his infamous mistakes in the 2018 Champions League final, and a move away from Newcastle is seen as a necessary step for him to revive his career.
Newcastle United appear to have a lot of happy players at the club currently, but one individual is keen on moving away, according to a fresh claim from the man in question.
Will Newcastle finish in the top four?
The Magpies have been flying until recently, with everything seemingly heading in the right direction after securing a top-four finish last season, ending up fourth in the Premier League table. That saw them qualify for the Champions League for the first time since the early part of this century, in what was a huge achievement by Eddie Howe and his players.
Things have started to go a little wrong for Newcastle of late, however, with three defeats in a row coming their way in the league, admittedly against Manchester City, Liverpool and Brighton. A big improvement is needed quickly, or they could begin to find themselves drifting further away from their rivals in the top four battle.
There is no reason why there shouldn’t be an upturn in fortunes, in truth, especially with some easier matches on the horizon, and the hope is that Howe’s side return to winning ways at home to Brentford on Saturday.
Newcastle now have a hugely impressive squad – arguably the best they’ve had in the Premier League era – and one that is filled with players who seemingly see their futures lying at St James’ Park, but that doesn’t apply to one individual.
Will Loris Karius leave Newcastle?
Speaking to Corriere della Sera [via Sport Witness], Magpies goalkeeper Loris Karius all but admitted that he wants to leave Newcastle, saying that he is “waiting” for the right opportunity to arrive, responding to question about a move to Serie A being a possibility:
“It is a possible solution, which I consider. It could happen in the future. As a child I followed Inter, Milan and Juve matches on TV. But I don’t want to move only based on Aria and Diletta. I’m waiting for a good job opportunity.”
In truth, it makes total sense for Karius to find a new club as soon as possible, with Howe clearly not seeing him as a regular between the sticks, especially as Nick Pope is so clearly first choice in that area of the pitch.
The 30-year-old has only made one solitary appearance for Newcastle to date, conceding twice in it, and his career has really stalled since that disastrous performance for Liverpool against Real Madrid in the 2018 Champions League final.
Karius’ twice glaring errors in that high-profile game will never be forgotten, and sadly, it appears to have knocked his confidence for good, having initially joined the Reds as a highly-rated young goalkeeper who was seen as the solution between the sticks before Alisson eventually arrived as that man.
The German needs regular football at this point in his career, and he isn’t going to be afforded that at Newcastle, so the hope is that he seals a move away in the January transfer window and enjoys a successful new chapter in his career, having not had much of an impact at all at St James’ Park.