OPINION
Contract extensions are a bit of a touchy subject on Tyneside at the moment, what with Rafa Benitez’s ongoing wrangle and all that.
It’s fair to say that Mike Ashley and his board have taken a pretty puzzling approach to that particular deal, favouring tension and subterfuge over clarity and common sense.
It would appear, however, that he has other ideas with regards to young Magpies’ hero Sean Longstaff.
The 22-year-old has burst onto the scene this season amongst a whirlwind of praise and plaudits, and up until the point that a cruel injury ended his season against West Ham, he looked well on track to becoming one of Rafa Benitez’s most important players.
Understandably, that kind of form garners attention. He is, arguably, the best thing Newcastle have produced in several years. He is the belle of the ball, the prize hog at the county fair, and the concern will be that somebody comes along and snaps him up just as his career starts to kick into top gear. Think Jordan Henderson leaving Sunderland for Liverpool.
It will be a massive source of comfort for Newcastle fans, therefore, to hear that the club is planning to offer him a new deal to tie him down on Tyneside for as long as possible.
Despite only signing a new contract in December, the Chronicle reports that, once the Toon Army sort out the Benitez saga, they plan on revisiting Longstaff’s terms with view to offering an improved deal more befitting of his new status.
It’s an absolute no-brainer, and one that could prove to be the Magpies’ shrewdest move in years.