Despite his superb form over the past 6 months, the upcoming season could well be Mo Diame’s last at Newcastle United , with the midfielder’s current contract set to expire next summer – at a time where he’ll have just turned 32.
As we all know, Big Mo’s performances in 2018 have been more than worthy of a contract extension, but with him turning 32 next year it would be quite unlike Ashley to hand a new deal to someone of his age.
It is also easy to forget how poor he was for Newcastle until the turn of the year, where he deserves massive credit. Next season will be massive for him, where we hope he continues to prove his real quality rather than slipping back into initial form. If Merino moves on, there will be even more emphasis on Mo next year; though I think Rafa wants a new player to start alongside Shelvey and keep Mo as a good option to have when needed.
It would then mean him playing for his future next season which can only help Newcastle, as it is unlikely other clubs will be rushing to snap him up due to his age.
If he plays like he can, common sense would hopefully prevail with him being offered a 1 year extension around winter time. However, with Mike Ashley involved, we know common sense usually isn’t high on the agenda.
He’s 31 and is now entering the last year of his contract at NUFC. As bad as it sounds, there’s a good chance this could be Mo Diame’s last season at the club unless he has another stormer of a season or Mike Ashley changes his approach to ageing players at the club.
