Emil Krafth to leave Newcastle after 106 appearances
emil krafth will leave Newcastle United at the end of the season after seven years and 106 appearances for the club. The defender, 31, has not featured since November after a knee injury on Sweden duty, ending a spell that also included a Carabao Cup winners medal.
Eddie Howe on St. James' Park
Eddie Howe said Krafth “deserves the send-off that I know he'll get at St. James' Park this weekend” after the final whistle against West Ham. Howe added that he has been “a big part of our success over the last few seasons” and praised his “positive mentality and outstanding professionalism.”
Newcastle’s head coach also said Krafth “has embodied what it means to be a Newcastle United player on and off the pitch,” calling him “a brilliant servant to the club.” The club’s sporting director, Ross Wilson, said Sunday’s game gives everyone at St. James' Park “the perfect opportunity to show their appreciation for his contribution to the club.”
Krafth's seven-year spell
Krafth said he had represented Newcastle for the past seven years and that the club was somewhere he had been “really proud to call home.” In his farewell message, he also said, “I've had up and down moments on a personal level and some difficult times with injury, but I've always felt such brilliant support from the fans, my team-mates, the coaching staff and everybody connected to the club.”
His time at Newcastle included recovery from a serious knee injury suffered in the Carabao Cup away to Tranmere Rovers in 2022, before he returned as a squad player for three more years. That run ended with another setback this season, when he was sidelined after the injury on international duty with Sweden and did not feature again.
Ross Wilson's first summer window
The move lands as Ross Wilson begins his first summer window as Newcastle’s sporting director. With Krafth moving on and the club already asking supporters for a send-off, Sunday’s game is set to close a long service spell that stretched across seven years, 106 appearances and a trophy-winning squad role.
