Report discloses how Martin Dubravka’s Newcastle United arrival has affected Karl Darlow

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Karl Darlow lost his place as Newcastle United’s number one goalkeeper when the Premier League club brought in Martin Dubravka in January.

Kenedy has added some much needed skill and speed to Newcastle United’s attack but Martin Dubravka is perhaps the January addition who has had the biggest impact at St James’ Park.

The Slovakian international goalkeeper wasted little time showing the fans what he was all about on his debut against Manchester United, displaying great confidence both commanding his area and playing out with the ball at his feet.

And the 29-year-old Dubravka has continued that impressive vein of form ever since, bar a few nervy moments in the 2-0 defeat to Liverpool. As such, The Mirror reports that Newcastle will take up the option to sign him permanently for £5.2 million when his loan spell at Sparta Prague expires.

On the face of it, these reports did not look good for Karl Darlow.

The former Nottingham Forest goalkeeper lost his place between the sticks to make way for Dubravka and, unless we see a remarkable and shocking loss of form, it appears unlikely that will be able to wrestle back that number one jersey before the end of the season.

The Chronicle claimed that Newcastle were willing to cash in on Darlow as far back as last summer and Dubravka’s arrival, coupled with highly-rated Freddie Woodman waiting in the wings, does not bode well for his future at St James’ Park.

For now, however, The Chronicle reports that Darlow is actually benefitting from Dubravka’s arrival. After a 1-1 friendly draw with Royal Antwerp on Sunday, manager Rafa Benitez expressed his belief that Darlow has been learning a lot from the experienced stopper and has already improved his all-round game as a result.

Darlow has struggled with his distribution and ability to dominate a penalty box – exactly the skills that Dubravka could teach him.

So, far from ending Darlow’s Newcastle career, could Dubravka actually give him a new lease of life?