The Chronicle’s Lee Ryder has recently shed more light on the Matty Longstaff contract saga the finally came to an end on Saturday, also revealing the reason Valentino Lazaro said ‘no’ to NUFC this summer.
Ryder reveals that talks over the 20-year-old’s future were so prolonged because the Longstaff camp wanted assurances about playing time and career progression, rather than simply bargaining for extortionate wages – which had previously been claimed in the media.
This comes after Udinese were believed to have offered him £30,000-per-week, in comparison to our alleged offer of £20,000.
Perhaps this is why a final round of talks with Bruce made all the difference? Did the NUFC boss give him assurances over game-time? And if so, has he signed just a two-year-deal so he can see if those promises are kept before he commits to a long-term deal?
The case appears to have been much the same for Lazaro, who clearly wanted serious ‘first team assurances’ from Steve Bruce.
That said, Lee Ryder reports that he ‘turned down’ a return to Newcastle United (suggesting we made another loan offer), due to a lack of assurances over his game time, seeing him sign with Bundesliga side Borussia Monchengladbach instead:
The Austrian’s time on Tyneside remains a bit of an enigma.
He was clearly talented, yet Bruce never seemed to fancy him – despite him often showing clear bursts of talent from the bench.
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