Newcastle United set for contract breakthrough as Eddie Howe gets his wish

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Newcastle United are closing in on a key contract decision.

Paul Mitchell has some big decisions to make over the next few months, with multiple Newcastle United players in the last year of their contract.

Emil Krafth is in talks to stay at Newcastle, while a decision regarding Callum Wilson is yet to be made. There is the option of triggering a one-year extension, but Wilson is unlikely to stay at Newcastle United at this moment in time.

While one senior first-team player could leave, another is set to remain at St James’ Park.

Update on Fabian Schar’s Newcastle United contract talks

It was recently reported that Newcastle expect Fabian Schar to sign a new contract, and it appears that negotiations are edging towards a positive conclusion.

That is according to the i Paper, who state that Fabian Schar is now ‘close’ to signing an extension to continue his career at St James’ Park.

That is extremely positive news, as it would be crazy of Newcastle to let a player of Schar’s calibre go on a free transfer, especially given their shortcomings at centre-back.

While Newcastle know they need to sign Schar’s long-term replacement, they would be making a mistake in letting him go.

Schar did not play well against Manchester City, but that was true of pretty much every Toon player. At 33-years-old, Schar still has a lot to offer, and keeping him at the club is absolutely the correct decision.

Eddie Howe set to get Newcastle United wish

The situation will delight the Newcastle United manager. Howe recently expressed his desire to keep Schar at the club beyond the 2024/25 season.

“I know there has been discussions taking place between Paul Mitchell and Fabian’s representatives,” he said on February 14th.

“Fingers crossed we find a solution, and we get to a situation where everybody is happy, and Fabian can extend his stay with us.”

Howe had his fingers crossed, and it now looks like he is going to get the good news he has been craving.

Since replacing Steve Bruce at St James’ Park, Schar has been one of Howe’s most reliable players. That is a testament to the former Switzerland international’s ability, as he had previously looked uncomfortable playing in a back four.

But he has stepped up in a big way, and Howe is always quick to praise Schar’s ‘unique’ qualities. Those qualities are staying on Tyneside, which means that Toon fans can look forward to more incredible long range passes and perhaps the odd thunderbolt strike from distance.