Matt Ritchie’s time could be up at Newcastle as his contract ticks down

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Matt Ritchie has been a fantastic servant to the club since he arrived at Newcastle United back in 2016, but with his contract due to expire in June this year, he faces an uncertain future.

Newcastle are set to move on to the next phase of the plan that PIF and Amanda Staveley have put together, which will mean that we will see a mass exodus of players this summer. One of which is likely to be Matt Ritchie as The Chronicle highlights him as one of five players whose contracts are due to expire.

Signed from Bournemouth in 2016 for £10million, Ritchie has gone on to make 194 appearances in all competitions for the Magpies scoring 24 times. His Newcastle career started with him helping the club bounce back from relegation at the first time of asking, and now looks like it could end with an appearance in the Carabao Cup final as his last game.

Matt Ritchie’s versatility has helped Newcastle over the years

Originally brought in as a winger, as he started to lose that yard of pace, Ritchie was often deployed in a more defensive role, but has found himself playing all over the park in various roles, showing his selflessness and willingness to fight for the team.

At 33 years old Ritchie is certainly in the twilight of his career, and given his relationship with Eddie Howe, whom he worked with at Bournemouth previously, he may find himself sticking around at Newcastle in a non-playing capacity.

Howe has often spoken of Ritchie’s influence in the dressing room, and we’ve seen for ourselves that he’s a leader on the pitch. Howe spoke to the media (taken from The Shields Gazette) on this last season saying: “This season, just speaking on behalf of what he’s given the group, even though he may not have played regularly, behind the scenes he’s just been an unbelievable professional, big voice in the changing room that’s helped unite people,” said Howe. “And he’s played a big part in our fight to stay in the division.”

A future in coaching?

He has all the hallmarks of a great coach, so there could potentially be something in that should he not wish to continue his playing career. Although I must stress that this is just my personal opinion and there’s been no hint from Matt Ritchie that he’s ready to hang up his boots just yet, in fact the former Scotland International has often found himself linked with a return to Bournemouth.

It’s not just Howe’s clone who will be wondering what the future will bring, as four other players’ contracts are set to expire at the same time. Paul Dummett, Mark Gillespie, Loris Karius and Ciaran Clark could all find themselves looking for a new club come the summer.