Newcastle United manager Rafael Benitez has confirmed that senior goalkeeper Rob Elliot is available for sale in January.
The 32-year-old Magpies shot-stopper is yet to feature in any competition this season and as such Benitez has made him available next month.
“The only one [goalkeeper] that is available in the window is Rob Elliot,” he said at his post match press conference, as quoted by the Chronicle.
The newspaper’s report states that Newcastle are willing to listen to cash offers for the former Charlton Athletic man.
OPINION
This makes sense for everyone involved, really. Elliot is clearly way down the pecking order at St James’ Park and thus there is no point keeping him at the club. He remains a decent stopper with a long career ahead of him so there’s no reason why he shouldn’t be playing first team football at Championship level, perhaps. Martin Dubravka is locked in as the Magpies first choice, while Karl Darlow and Freddie Woodman both appear to be preferred by Benitez. That leaves no prospect of first team football for Elliot if he remains on Tyneside. It’s doubtful that Newcastle would be looking for more than a few million for the player and so he should secure a swift exit when the window opens in a few days time. It will be good for him to have a fresh start with a club that can actually offer him regular minutes.
