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Newcastle United desperate for player to sign new contract – Bizarre

3 years ago
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Steve Bruce has been talking about the latest player he is desperate to see sign a new contract, step forward Jacob Murphy.

The past years has seen a fair few NUFC players agree new contracts – including Shelvey, Hayden, Darlow, ASM, Clark, Ritchie, Anderson, Carroll, Woodman, Manquillo, Matty Longstaff.

A new deal is claimed to have been agreed with Dwight Gayle, with Steve Bruce last week saying it was pretty much done.

You can then add the new signings who agreed NUFC contracts last summer – Gillespie, Hendrick, Fraser, Lewis and Wilson.

So if Jacob Murphy reaches agreement with the club, we are looking at the vast majority of the Newcastle United first team squad having signed deals in the past year.

Quite remarkable / bizarre for a club hierarchy that allowed a ridiculous percentage of the squad to have their contracts run down so far, ahead of this busy turnaround year.

I know this will upset a fair few of you…but what exactly is the point of giving Jacob Murphy more years at Newcastle United?

Since signing four years ago he has made 52 Premier League appearances, started 25 and off the bench in 27. However, in those games he has only score two goals and registered four assists.

Steve Bruce says about Jacob Murphy this 2020/21 campaign: ‘He has played a big part in the season, he has had for him, a really good season.’

It is just bizarre to me, Bruce had selected Jacob Murphy in only one PL team in 2021 before last Sunday, despite the horrific run of only two wins in twenty one matches that NUFC are currently on.

Only nine PL starts now this season and whilst he was one of Newcastle’s better performers against Spurs, what would be the point of him hanging around?

Very few times has Jacob Murphy ever truly looked a Premier League player and on those occasions it has pretty much always been as a right wing-back (as per against Spurs last Sunday), a formation that Steve Bruce says he doesn’t want to play.

Murphy can’t play right-back and is never going to get regular football as a winger at NUFC ahead of ASM, Fraser, Almiron etc.

Steve Bruce adding: ‘I would love to see him at the club. It’s what we want: young, hungry, determined to do well – he ticks all of those boxes.’

Hmmm, I think only in this rapidly ageing squad that Mike Ashley and Steve Bruce seem determined to keep together, could you be describing as ‘young’ (in football terms) when Murphy turns 27 on his next birthday. If he signed a new three year contract and stayed at least until it ended, Jacob Murphy is suddenly going to be 30 and quite probably wonder where his career went?

Dwight Gayle will be almost 35 by the end of the three year deal he has allegedly agreed.

The likes of Shelvey, Darlow, Dubravka, Fraser, Ritchie, Hendrick, Carroll, Wilson, Clark, Hayden, Fernandez all currently on contracts where they will be in their 30s when the deals end, Paul Dummett seemingly also set to get a new deal, he turns 30 in September.

I’m not saying that none of these players should get new contracts and / or stay on at Newcastle United BUT I just don’t see the point in keeping so many of them here, many of who like Jacob Murphy aren’t even first team regulars.

It is almost like Mike Ashley and Steve Bruce are preparing for life in the Championship, or the strong possibility anyway.

I think reality is that for many of the players given contracts this past year, if they moved elsewhere it would be to a Championship club, including Jacob Murphy.

Steve Bruce talking to BBC Newcastle about Jacob Murphy:

“I sincerely hope that we tie Jacob Murphy down [to a new contract].

“He has been a big plus this season, after spending a couple of years on loan.

“He has played a big part in the season, he has had for him, a really good season.

“Where he knows now, that he can convince himself, that he belongs in the Premier League.

“I have been very very pleased with him.

“Moving forward, I would love to see him at the club.

“It’s what we want: young, hungry, determined to do well – he ticks all of those boxes.”

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