Jonas succeeds where Barton and Nolan failed and gets a new contract
Posted on September 27th, 2011 | 90 Comments |
It seems that Jonas Gutierrez has managed to see eye to eye with the club in a way that Barton and Nolan couldn’t because the club has signed him up for another four years.
He’s previously expressed an interest in playing in Italy, but it seems his desire to stay at Newcastle overrides that. Jonas said:
“I’ve said many times that I love playing for Newcastle. I love the city, the fans and the team. So I had no hesitation in signing a new contract. It has been a good start to the season and this is a great place to be.
“I am proud that the manager and the board see me as part of the long-term future of Newcastle. I have always given my best here and I will always do that.“
And Alan Pardew followed up with a shock speech on the matter, saying:
“Jonas is an integral part of the future of Newcastle United and we are delighted to have signed a new contract with him. As a seasoned international player, he adds a different dimension to our play when he is on the field and is a huge asset to us.
“Jonas can turn a game in an instant, he has marvellous ball skills, a terrific work rate and in my time here, has hardly missed a game.
“That’s the sort of consistency, fitness and performance wise, that a manager looks for in a player.”
Much has been said in the past about his lack of ‘end product’ or that he ‘flatters to deceive’ but I’ve always liked him, not least because he always has a good work rate and – as Pardew said – he’s spent very little time outside the sick room with a note from his mam.
I think there’s more to his game than a ‘left winger’ too and he always seems willing to get back and defend when it’s necessary. In fact, I seem to remember him starting a left-back a couple of times.
Whilst we’re talking about contracts (well, I am, anyway), unless some deals have slipped under my radar (and please correct me if they have), the following are due to expire soon:
– Steve Harper: January 2012
– Tim Krul, Shola & Nile Ranger: June 2012
– Danny Guthrie, Sammy Ameobi: July 2012
– Alan Smith, Peter Lovenkrands: August 2012
I wonder what the club’s plans are for that lot?
Surely he’s way too old, and not French obviously, so we should’ve let him go on a free