Five first-team players, including long-serving duo Paul Dummett and Matt Ritchie, will leave Newcastle United at the end of their contracts this summer.
Newcastle United manager Eddie Howe announced on Wednesday that Paul Dummett, Matt Ritchie, Loris Karius, Kell Watts, and Jeff Hendrick will all be leaving the club once their contracts expire on June 30. The quintet has made a combined total of 428 competitive appearances for the Magpies.
Dummett is Newcastle’s longest-serving current player. He joined the academy at the age of nine and made his senior debut in January 2013. Over the years, he has amassed 215 competitive appearances and scored four goals. Ritchie arrived at Newcastle from Bournemouth in July 2016 and played a vital role in leading the club back to the Premier League under Rafa Benitez. He made 215 appearances for Newcastle and scored 25 goals.
Karius joined Newcastle in January 2023 and made two first-team appearances for the club – in the Carabao Cup final loss to Manchester United and a Premier League game against Arsenal in February. Hendrick joined as a free agent in 2019 and spent most of his time at the club on loan in the Football League before making his debut for Newcastle against Crystal Palace in December 2019. Watts, an academy graduate who joined from Cramlington Juniors when he was eight years old, made his Premier League debut for Newcastle in 2020 and has amassed 100 appearances in the EFL during spells on loan with various clubs.
Howe expressed gratitude towards each player for their contributions to the team: “They have all given so much to the cause in their own ways, and I know our supporters will join me in wishing them every success with the next step in their careers.” He also acknowledged their immeasurable impact on Newcastle’s progress as a team and as a club over many years.
