Newcastle United have been handed a timely boost with the news that two of their senior first-team players have committed to the club beyond their current contracts.
According to The Shields Gazette, both Matt Ritchie and Jonjo Shelvey have agreed terms, giving manager Steve Bruce a real fillip after goalkeeper, Martin Dubravka, signed a new six-year contract at the back end of last year.
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With a potential takeover still yet to be finalised, news that players are being tied down for the longer-term will surely be of comfort to the hordes that populate St. James’ Park and elsewhere each and every match day.
There isn’t such good news on the part of Matty Longstaff, however. His contract is up in the summer, and The Shields Gazette also report that, despite several months of stalled contract talks, there’s still no end in sight in terms of an agreement.
Bruce is known to want to keep hold of the highly-rated youngster and his brother Sean, but the matter could be taken out of his hands.