Former England international Danny Mills has claimed that Newcastle United goalkeeper Karl Darlow may have put the stoppers on a reported move to Leeds United.
Football Insider reported this week that the Whites have made an approach for the 28-year-old. However, BBC pundit Mills feels that the player’s alleged involvement in a public bust-up, as reported by the Daily Mail, has seen him blow a potential switch to Elland Road.
“He has been involved an incident, should we say? That could put any move on hold,” he told Football Insider. “From images you see online, it doesn’t look great.
“I would be tempted to say that any potential move that he has got in mind will now be put on hold until things have calmed down a little bit and proceedings have been dealt with. The last thing you want to bring in is a player with unresolved baggage. It could go horribly wrong.”
OPINION
Mills makes a decent point, here. Darlow has obviously been caught up in an unsavoury incident outside a Northumberland pizza place, something that will be hugely concerning for any potential employers, as well as for Newcastle. As Mills says, the images don’t look good. There is video included in the Mail’s report which appears to show Darlow kicking a man who has been thrown to the floor. Those sorts of actions are never going to go down well with teams. They will view that sort of incident as a red flag, and make no mistake about it. However, we have seen footballers rebound from worse things than this, and continue to have successful careers. Ultimately, if you’re good enough you will find work, unless you’ve done something truly horrible. Darlow’s reportedly been involved in a drunken bust-up. It’s bad, but it’s not the end of the world. Give it a bit of time and he should be able to find a new club if he so desires.
