Newcastle United have confirmed the sale of Matz Sels to Strasbourg. The Belgian goalkeeper leaves Tyneside for a fee reported to be around £3.5 million. He has signed a four-year contract with his new employers Strasbourg just days after featuring in Newcastle’s 2:0 win over St. Patrick’s Athletic.
Sels spent last season on loan at Belgian giants Anderlecht, where he won the Belgian Super Cup. He featured in 37 matches in all competitions with his consistent performances attracting the interest of Ligue 1 outfit RC Strasbourg.
The 26-year-old initially joined Newcastle in the summer of 2016, as he arrived on the back of a strong season with Gent. However, since his arrival at Tyneside, the Belgian failed to establish himself as a first-team regular at Newcastle, featuring in just nine Championship matches during his debut campaign in England. He also made only three appearances in the FA Cup and overall, endured an awful season despite Newcastle’s promotion to the top flight.
And as iterated earlier, Sels was shipped to Anderlecht on a season-long loan deal in the following campaign. After moving to his homeland, former Gent star once again managed to find his groove and thus, the permanent move away from St. James’ Park is definitely a logical decision from the 26-year-old.
As for Newcastle, they will not be too happy to have endured a net loss of almost £2.5 million after they had initially brought him for a fee of around £6 million. That being said, the departure of Matz Sels is certainly a good riddance for the Magpies considering the fact that they have already secured the services of Martin Dubravka on a permanent basis.
The 29-year-old Dubravka found astounding success after moving to the Premier League earlier this year. In fact, the Slovakian goalkeeper established himself as somewhat of a cult hero during his short stint with the club, thanks to a series of fine performances that saw Newcastle make an extraordinary recovery in the second half of the campaign.
As a result, head coach Rafael Benitez was obliged to sign him on a permanent basis. And the 29-year-old will undoubtedly be instilled as the number one keeper for Newcastle in the forthcoming season as the Magpies look to make a better impression in the English top flight.
Therefore, the departure of Sels will not only make room for new signing Dubravka but will also allow few of the promising academy keepers to make their way into the senior side.