For the last year, Newcastle United has had to fend off constantly being labelled a stepping stone club, with an established place in the hierarchy or ‘food chain’ of Premier League and European football.
Some of the best players in the country currently play under Eddie Howe, yet because we cannot compete financially with the likes of Manchester United, Liverpool or Real Madrid, many outsiders feel that this makes our squad easy pickings in the transfer market.
Our situation certainly won’t be helped in the coming windows with a number of key stars both deserving and in need of new contract.
And according to a new report, we can add a fresh name to the list of stars in line for a contract extension and significant wage boost, which no one should be saying isn’t fully deserved.
According to Brazilian outlet UOL, Bruno Guimaraes could be in line for a fresh contract that will cement his status as the top earner at the club, a position he has held since Alexander Isak’s departure back in August.
The proposed deal would see our captain stay on Tyneside until July 2030, earning an eye-watering £13m a year, on wages of around £250,000 a week.
Bruno’s only got better and better in the past year for club and country: he’s netted twice in the Premier League this season, and has established himself as a starting choice for Carlo Ancelotti for the Brazilian National Team ahead of the World Cup.
In addition to this, UOL claims that we’re anticipating fresh interest from clubs in Saudi Arabia for Bruno’s signature, and a new contract will stave off this interest.
Bruno is obviously vocal about how much he loves playing at St James’ Park, having made history as our captain when we won the Carabao Cup back in March. Consistent Champions League football and trophy ambitions will still be key to keeping him however.
The club announced Ross Wilson as our new Sporting Director, and the Scotsman already has some big tasks ahead of him in regards to keeping Howe’s top stars here on Tyneside.
In the past few weeks, there have been reports that each of Sandro Tonali, Sven Botman and Tino Livramento will be in line for new contracts. And like Bruno, it’s not hard to see why.
Tonali has cemented himself as perhaps the best player in the league outside of the ‘Big Six’, Botman looks back to his brilliant best alongside new signing Malick Thiaw, and Tino Livramento has become an England star under Howe’s management.
Ahead of a big few years for the club, as we steadily increase commercial revenue and allow ourselves to offer higher wages to better players, locking down both the fan favourites and genuine world class talent on the books is absolutely imperative if we’re serious about becoming an elite club in the foreseeable future.