Urgent contract talks needed after Newcastle United’s ‘beast’ leaves Eddie Howe impressed

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Newcastle United are starting to purr this season but the improvements in their attacking line have only been made possible by having a rock-solid defensive unit. 

Indeed, Newcastle United beat Nottingham Forest 2-0 on Sunday to record their fifth clean sheet of the Premier League season to date. 

Nick Woltemade is firing on all cylinders now, giving Eddie Howe’s side an extra dimension. 

However, what kept Newcastle from verging into a crisis at the start of the campaign is their defensive record. 

Every player involved has played their part, but Sven Botman really is one of the standouts. The defender has put his injury worries behind him to star this season. 

With that in mind, it’s absolutely imperative that Newcastle sort out his contractual situation. 

• Who is Sven Botman? Get the lowdown on Newcastle United’s Dutch defensive dynamo

Sven Botman is out of contract at Newcastle United in 2027  

Botman’s Newcastle contract only runs until the summer of 2027, making the club vulnerable. 

They can ill-afford to lose another key player so soon after the Alexander Isak debacle and, worryingly, Liverpool have been linked with a move for Botman. 

It would be a major concern if, at the end of the season, the defender had just a year left on his deal.

Newcastle would not be able to command anything approaching maximum value for the former Lille star, while the idea of running down his deal in order to secure a lucrative free transfer away from the club in 2027 could theoretically appeal to him. 

There’s currently no suggestion that it does, but Newcastle would be foolish to take that risk. Even if there is an option to extend by a year, it only kicks the can down the road.

Now he’s proven his fitness again, the club have to get a deal done. 

Eddie Howe blown away by Sven Botman’s start to the season

The Newcastle United manager was effusive in his praise of the defender following the game. 

Howe admitted he was gutted when Botman suffered a serious knee injury back in 2024, such is his impact both on and off the pitch. 

The Toon boss hailed his star defender as both a “man mountain” and a “beast” in his post-match press conference.

“When we lost him [to injury], I was really down about that, because we’d lost an outstanding player, character, person and distributor of the ball,” he said.

“Short and long range, he brought the other side of the pitch into play a lot when we were under pressure and we lost that from our game which was a huge blow.

“Not only that, he’s a man mountain, a physical beast, which in this league you need.

“I thought we catered really well with his absence, I thought Dan Burn was absolutely magnificent.  

“But Sven’s got qualities that Dan doesn’t have and vice-versa. They’re both very different players, it’s great to see them now in the same team still contributing in the way that they are.  

“Sven, hopefully from this moment, can still improve and get back to his very, very highest levels.

“Because there’s not many I’d look to swap him with if he’s at his best.” 

Hopefully, when Newcastle finally appoint a sporting director, they can sort out Botman’s long-term future.