Newcastle are looking to offer improved contracts to a number of players in the coming weeks, according to the Chronicle, including Martin Dubravka, Isaac Hayden and both Longstaffs.
There are also seven other players who will be out of contract, and Steve Bruce and Lee Charnley have some decisions to make over their futures.
Those players include Ki Sung Yueng, Karl Darlow, Andy Carroll, Javier Manquillo, Federico Fernandez, Rob Elliot and Jack Colback.
Football is a ruthless business, and as such, five of those seven should either be sold in January, or released next summer.
Jack Colback’s time on Tyneside has been up for a long while now, and why the club have not just paid him off and agreed to rip up the remainder of his deal, is baffling.
Karl Darlow should also be in his final weeks as a Newcastle player – provided they can reach agreements with both Martin Dubravka and Freddie Woodman.
Dubravka’s new deal is in the offing and will hopefully be agreed soon, while news that the club are hoping to keep Woodman for the long-haul should see him installed as the Czech international’s understudy.
Fernandez has never let Newcastle down, when called upon, but the fact that Ciaran Clark got the nod in the first team shake-up for the Manchester United game, highlights how far down the pecking order he currently is.
That should see him wanting to leave, and I would be surprised if Newcastle stood in his way.
Ki and Manquillo are two more underwhelming performers. They always give 100 per cent, but unfortunately, rarely look good enough to cement, or warrant, a starting place for a sustained period, which is why both should be moved on in January.
Carroll could stay and Elliot deserves coaching opportunity
Andy Carroll’s situation is different, however, with him signing his one-year deal, in which he is paid a low basic salary, which is enhanced on appearances and other criteria, after concerns over his fitness.
If he can stay fit and prove that he is still capable of cutting it in the Premier League, a similarly styled deal for another year or two would be justified for the Gateshead bred striker who turns 31 in January.
As for Rob Elliot, while it is largely accepted that his Newcastle playing days are behind him, he has been such a loyal servant to the club, he deserves a coaching role at St James’ Park.
He has been so fantastic with local children, by setting up his youth project with some of the other players, that surely the club can find a position for him with the Newcastle United Foundation, or academy.
He could even take on some sort of ambassadorial role for the club, taking Newcastle into the region’s schools and communities.
It would be just reward for a player who, despite injury setbacks and limited chances in recent years, has never spoken a bad word about the football club and its staff.
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