If these new George Caulkin claims are true, Matty Longstaff would be crazy to leave NUFC…

Some new developments on the contract front have emerged from George Caulkin today, with his latest piece for The Athletic confirming Lee Charnley has made contact with THREE players over new contracts.

This refers to soon-to-be out of contract trio Andy Carroll, Javier Manquillo and Matty Longstaff.

Many, including Steve Bruce, are keen to see Carroll stick around, while Manquillo has fast become our most reliable right-back and deserves a new deal, but Caulkin’s claims around our latest Matty Longstaff stood out the most to me.

According to his latest piece for The Athletic, Matty has been offered £20,000-per-week – which includes a ‘£10,000 bonus every time he plays’, meaning he’d receive as much as he would in Italy (Udinese have offered £30,000) should he feature:

Sources have told The Athletic that Newcastle have now responded with a basic contract offer of £20,000-a-week, with a bonus of £10,000 paid every time he plays, giving Longstaff the incentive of gaining a place in the side and then establishing himself there. They regard that as a fair return for a player of his age who they rate highly, but who has only started six league games for the club.

Money talks, but if this really is the offer on the table for the 20-year-old then I’m struggling to understand why he’d pack up his childhood dream on Tyneside for a few quid more at a struggling Serie A side.

OK, if he doesn’t play he would be earning £10,000 less (per week) than he could be in Italy, but he’ll soon be rewarded with a deal in excess of £20-£30,000 should he break into Bruce’s side on a regular basis and prove himself at Premier League level.

I could just about understand his frustration and trepidation if we were offering him less than half with no incentives in place, but the offer Caulkin reveals seems a very fair one to me – especially when this is a Matty Longstaff who was without a senior cap and earning £850-per-week not so long ago.

Maybe he fears for his game time after falling behind Shelvey, Hayden, Bentaleb and brother Sean in the pecking order or worries a takeover will see his chances diminish even further, however I struggle to see how Udinese appeals over his boyhood club if this isn’t all about money – something he’d still get plenty of is he signed at St James’ Park.

(Fancy writing for us? Get in touch at [email protected] & we’ll get back to you!)

About Olly Hawkins

As a Junior Magpie since birth and season ticket holder, I eat, sleep and breathe all things NUFC! Here at the blog, I aim to bring you news, views, match reports and transfer exclusives as and when I get them.

One thought on “If these new George Caulkin claims are true, Matty Longstaff would be crazy to leave NUFC…

  1. My bet would be that tis is nowt to do with Udinese.
    Once signed, he will be immediately loaned to Watford where he would eventually end up.
    Something stinks here.

      (Quote)

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