Much of the talk at Newcastle United in the next 18 months will hinge on incoming transfers but there will have to be decisions made about the players already at the club.
Those already on the books at St James’ Park can be forgiven for being slightly worried when the takeover was completed in October last year.
They would have been well aware that significant investment would follow and the spending in the January transfer window has already shown the owners’ ambition.
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For supporters, it does hopefully mean that the Magpies players will look to improve their performance levels to ensure that they are part of the next phase of the club’s future.
The bid to keep Newcastle in the Premier League is the immediate objective before attention turns towards summer business.
Initially, decisions will have to be made on the futures of Paul Dummett, Fabian Schar and Sean Longstaff whose current deals all expire at the end of the season.
The latter has been identified by Eddie Howe as someone he hopes has a ‘long-term future’ at the club while the other two could well be allowed to leave for free in June.
12 months later, there are another six Newcastle players whose contracts are set to run out. We have taken a look at whether their deals should be extended.
Mark Gillespie
If Mark Gillespie is still at St James’ Park in a year’s time, it is highly unlikely that he will enter new contract talks.
Since signing from Motherwell in July 2020, the 29-year-old has played just three times for Newcastle with each of those performances coming in the Carabao Cup.
Howe is supposedly keen on bringing another goalkeeper to the club to provide competition for Martin Dubravka which would push Gillespie even further down the pecking order.
Matt Ritchie
When his current deal is due to expire, Matt Ritchie will be almost 34 years old and will likely be a long way out of first-team contention if he is still at the club.
The arrival of Matt Targett in January will probably signal an end to his time as left-back although, with Jamal Lewis out of reckoning, the Scotland international might still be needed as back up.
Ritchie could still be very useful for a side competing in the Championship and could look to secure a move in the summer if Newcastle are able to secure their Premier League status.
Ciaran Clark
Ciaran Clark is certainly not one of the current squad members who has a future at Newcastle amid reports that he could be cut from the 25-man squad for the rest of the season.
Before Howe’s arrival, he was a player that many fans thought should not be part of the team and he made matters a whole lot worse when he was sent off after just nine minutes against Norwich.
The signing of Dan Burn will move Clark even further out of contention for a place in the starting XI and he could be one of those looking for a summer move away.
Federico Fernandez
Federico Fernandez’s contract is set to expire next summer but he does have the option of triggering an extra year should he wish to stay in the North East.
It wouldn’t be a decision that many fans would be against as the Argentine defender has shown on a number of occasions that he is good enough to be a squad player.
However, with more defensive reinforcements expected to be signed in the summer, Fernandez might decide that he wants to be part of the first-team plans at a different club.
Emil Krafth
Emil Krafth has been identified as one of the players who needs replacing at Newcastle ever since the club’s takeover was confirmed last year. However, he is an international footballer and like Fernandez, has his uses to the side as part of the squad.
His versatility also shouldn’t be ignored as he is able to play in a few positions albeit not necessarily as well as supporters would hope.
The Sweden international is likely to be one of those on the lookout for another club as he will feel that the writing is on the wall as far as his career on Tyneside is concerned.
Jonjo Shelvey
Since Howe’s arrival was announced following Steve Bruce’s departure, Jonjo Shelvey has emerged as one of the Magpies’ most important players.
Shelvey’s influence was highlighted in the vital 1-0 win at Leeds after scoring the game’s winning goal as well as helping to preserve the lead in the last 15 minutes.
If he continues his strong form, then he is definitely a player that Howe will want to keep at the club even if he is ultimately displaced in the starting XI.
The 29-year-old will want to turn in more of those match-winning performances between now and the end of the season to help keep his side in the Premier League.
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