Three first team Newcastle United players to be offered new deals – Report

Three Newcastle United players are going to be handed new contracts in the very near future.

That is according to a new media ‘exclusive’ on Monday afternoon.

It is claimed / reported that Jonjo Shelvey and Fabian Schar will be offered new deals, imminently.

The ‘exclusive’ comes from The Telegraph, who reckon that the new contracts will be ‘A reward for the pair’s increased prominence and performances under Eddie Howe.’

Paul Dummett also set to be offered a new contract, according to the ‘exclusive’ from the newspaper.

Fabian Schar has started in 12 of the 13 Premier League games under Eddie Howe, an unused sub in the 4-0 home defeat to Man City.

In contrast, presiding over a defensive shambles, Steve Bruce only started the Swiss international in two PL matches this season before he (Bruce) was sacked, whilst Schar was only named in the starting line up 31 times of of 76 PL matches in Bruce’s two full seasons at the club.

Whilst Jonjo Shelvey has also only missed the Man City match (through injury I think) under Eddie Howe, starting the other 12. Shelvey only started the PL game on the opening day against West Ham under Steve Bruce, although he did miss a while through injuries.

Fabian Schar turned 30 in December, which is no great age for a central defender, he only has just over four months to go until his current NUFC contract finishes at the end of June 2022.

For Jonjo Shelvey, his current deal runs until end of June 2023 when he will be aged 31 (and a half), the midfielder set to turn 30 this month.

As for Paul Dummett, the 30 year old sees his current deal come to an end after June 2022 and he managed two starts under Eddie Howe before injury struck yet again, his only two PL starts this season for the injury prone Geordie defender.

The Telegraph report:

‘Although Newcastle are planning to recruit heavily again in the summer, if they avoid relegation to the Championship, Howe is looking to evolve rather than overhaul the squad. That means keeping players who have impressed him during his time as manager who know the club and the city, adding quality players to line up alongside them so that the overall standard – and depth of the squad – rises.

It is an organic approach the Newcastle hierarchy have also bought into. Senior sources have told Telegraph Sport the manager earned a huge amount of respect for the way he handled recruitment in the January transfer window and will back his plan on contract renewals.’

Whilst I don’t think there will be a complete overhaul of the Newcastle United in the very near future, I find it difficult to believe that all three of these players would be offered new contracts, certainly if NUFC avoid relegation.

In this second half of the season, Eddie Howe has a number of injured players in his squad, so giving Paul Dummett (turns 31 in September) a new deal, when he has such a bad record with injuries in recent years, seems unlikely.

With Fabian Schar, I am completely in favour of him sticking around. However, with the club trying to sign two big money centre-backs in January, I think that Schar would be staying on, without any guarantees of first team football. Especially with new signing Dan Burn putting in two centre-back performances that have been arguably the best seen by Newcastle fans for some time.

Jonjo Shelvey isn’t the most mobile of midfielders to start with, so extending his contract beyond his 32nd birthday? A bit dubious to me, certainly if we are talking about players playing regularly first team football in the season after next, for Newcastle.

Whilst mainly out of necessity, Newcastle United further added to what is a relatively older squad with the permanent signings in January of Wood (30), Burn (29) and Trippier (31). If NUFC stay in the Premier League then I see more likely that further players with the profile / age of 24 year old Bruno Guimaraes will be added, rather than extending contracts of / signing more ‘experienced’ players.