There were plenty of changes made at Newcastle United this summer in what turned out to be a hectic transfer window.
Newcastle were busy in the summer, first trying to avoid punishment from the Premier League Profit and Sustainability Rules and then chasing targets of their own later in the window.
However, Newcastle and newly-appointed sporting director Paul Mitchell failed to land any of the club’s top transfer targets.
Newcastle were able to keep hold of their biggest stars and fend off interest from Premier League rivals, but the Tyneside club did wave goodbye to a handful of players.
One of those was Loris Karius, who left in the summer as a free agent as part of Newcastle’s goalkeeper re-shuffle.
Loris Karius hints at retirement after Newcastle exit
Karius joined Newcastle 2022 as a free agent and was initially the third-choice option at goalkeeper.
His first appearance for the Magpies came in one of Newcastle’s biggest games in recent history – the Carabao Cup final against Manchester United. Eddie Howe had no option but to start Karius because Nick Pope was injured and Martin Dubravka was cup-tied.
Karius only made one more appearance for Newcastle before leaving this summer and the 31-year-old, who is most remembered for his mistakes in the 2018 Champions League final, is still yet to find a new club.
Speaking to Sky Sports Germany, Karius admitted that he will consider retirement if he cannot find a new club.
“This is certainly not an easy situation at the moment,” Karius said.
“Being without a club as a player is one of the worst things, but I take it relatively calmly because I’ve had a lot of ups and downs in my career. So, I can deal with the situation quite well, even if I would of course wish it were different.
“You have to be realistic. I had a few offers in the summer that didn’t appeal to me, which is why I made the decision to reject them and wait.
“Therefore, it is currently an option that the career does not continue. However, I keep it open, train every day, keep myself fit and could theoretically start somewhere straight away. Everything is still possible.”
Loris Karius was linked to Barcelona
It was only a few weeks ago that Karius was being linked to one of the biggest clubs in the world.
Karius was a suggested signing for Barcelona after the La Liga giants found themselves needing a back-up goalkeeper following Marc-Andre ter Stegen’s knee injury.
READ MORE: How Newcastle United really feel internally about their progress since the PIF takeover
Despite Karius being available as a free agent, Barcelona have since announced that they have agreed a deal to sign former Arsenal shot-stopper Wojciech Szczesny.
Karius is still without a club and at 31 years old is still relatively young for a goalkeeper. It turns out that his stint at Newcastle may end up being the last of his career.
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