RIYADH: Eddie Howe is determined to keep former Liverpool goalkeeper Loris Karius at Newcastle United.
The former Reds number 1 only signed for the Magpies in September and made his debut for the Magpies in a 5–0 win over Al-Hilal at the Prince Faisal Bin Fahd Stadium.
In an impressive 45 minutes – he was replaced by Mark Gillespie at the break – Karius made a string of goal-saving stops to keep a clean sheet.
Head coach Howe admitted he was impressed with the former Champions League keeper’s impact, and he wants to secure the player on a long-term deal, with his current contract due to expire in January.
Howe said: “I think he did really well. In the first half we came under pressure and I thought he made some good saves.
“Since he’s been with us, he’s been improving steadily. His delivery was great, so good night to him.
“I would like him to stay but obviously both sides had to agree, so fingers crossed.
“I think he’s been a very calming influence. He’s a goalkeeper with a lot of experience.
“He’s well trained and a very good character and very popular in the changing rooms: the boys have really taken to him.
He is a positive influence and so I would like him to stay.
“I think it’s down to how he trained because he didn’t do a lot of training when he entered the club.
“We were in a difficult position after Karl’s (Darlow) injury and, as I say, he was a calming influence. He brought stability behind the scenes.
“Stable, with the amount of goalkeeping he’s done now, he’s improving all the time.”
Speaking after the game, Carius revealed that he is open to discussions about his future.
He added: “We’re going to have some talks and see what we come up with, but certainly I can see myself here for a long time and hopefully there will be some more performances in the future, competitive as well.
“That’s my aim, that’s what I’m working on every day and at the same time, I’m supporting all the other people.
“I think there is a good chance I can stay here longer, but we will have to discuss it in the next few weeks.”
Howe is in talks with Newcastle bosses over the club’s approach to the January transfer window.
Asked how the talks have progressed, he said: “Very well. At this stage it is just talk. The great thing is that a lot can change between now and January.
“We’ve talked and discussed what that might look like but it’s so long before that window opens and we’re still very flexible about what we’re going to do.”
While co-owners Mehrdad Ghodousi and Amanda Staveley flew to Qatar to witness England’s World Cup quarter-final against France on Saturday evening, the rest of the combined group remained at its Olayya base in Riyadh’s commercial hub.
Howe took his players for a recovery session at the Optimo Leisure Complex on Friday.
Due to the arrival of President Xi Jinping’s Chinese contingent in the Kingdom’s capital, most of the club’s staffing operations have moved from the Four Seasons to the Novotel Al-Anoud, a short drive away.