Reports: Newcastle United Extend the Contracts of Two Players

With contracts of more than six players running down this summer, it’s high time we should address the situation (Oh! my bad I thought We’re a professionally run club). Although the situation is ultra toxic and negativity is seeping into our minds. It’s emotionally draining and ghosting all of us.

But let’s come to the point we’re finally getting rid of the old-rusty deadwood in Christian Atsu(Even though I find him more useful than Joe) and Henri Saivet (it’s a long story in this case). With a couple of experienced defenders in Fabian Schar and Fede Fernandez also in the mix. While Dwight Gayle, Andy Carroll, and Jacob Murphy are from a region that divides the sets of fans on whether they should be awarded contract extensions or not. Here we haven’t included Joe Willock(Loaned from Arsenal and will return this summer).

According to the Athletic, normally a reliable source, Dwight Gayle had been offered a new three-year deal on reduced terms and claims he has already signed the deed only official announcement is left. This is in stark contrast to the player's post-match reaction in Brighton defeat when Gayle and Carroll both stormed off to the tunnel seemingly frustrated for not getting game-time. The insider also claims a new relegation clause has also been fitted in the deed which will half Gayle’s weekly wages if the club gets relegated to the championship.

On the other hand, The Chronicle claim that Newcastle United has activated the clause in Fabian Schar’s contract which extends his tenure with the club for another year, probably to preserve the residual value of the player to the club. While a similar extension clause is designed into Fede Fernandez’s contract but has not been acted upon yet.

Photo by Serena Taylor/Newcastle United via Getty Images

This leaves us with Jacob Murphy and Andy Carroll. Murphy showed his tenacity and acted as a creative spark in a couple of matches but couldn’t nail down his spot in the Starting XI in the absence of Saint-Maximin, Ritchie, Ryan Fraser, and Almiron in different phases over the whole season from which we can conclude that the wing position is well-stacked. But that’s only if we stay in Premier League. (If not, then get seated to watch the pair of Murphy and Joelinton starting on the wing and causing absolute havoc and destruction in the championship defenses)

The Newcastle fan Verdict

Handing off a three-year contract to Gayle signifies that the Board is considering the worst-case-scenario at the moment and they expect a mass exodus of players on relegation which will include the whole forward line because as we know all of them are on high wages. The act of extending Schar’s contract also indicates in the same direction with the club planning to sell an injury-prone ball-playing center-half(In Good demand these days) at a good profit.

Gayle is a proven championship goalscorer, having fired in 23 goals in 32 Championship games for Newcastle in the 2016/17 season and 24 goals in 40 matches for West Brom in the second tier, he has the potential to shoot any decent club to play-offs at least.

This also shows the lack of ambition(Actually it’s an old one we have to find new phrases) at our club and disinterest in sacking Steve Bruce who is no longer a championship master gone are those days when he used to take teams out of the championship obscurity. Nowadays, Championship has become ever so intense with clubs like Barnsley, Brentford, Blackburn, etc. are playing high pressing free-flowing football.

At the start of the season, there are discussions on the most fragile squads and the first name on our minds are Fulham and West Brom. Fulham are simply trying to loan themselves out of relegation as half of their first-team players are on loan, But now I’m realizing that our squad is more futile than theirs and squad building at our club stinks.

We waited until last January for the replacement of Diame, almost waited one year for the replacement of Rondon, Similar to 2013 when we forgot to replace Demba Ba, Cabaye, etc. The club hierarchy is dull at our club. (I sometimes think “do we even have a video analysis team or Recruitment Video Analyst?”)