Eddie Howe names Newcastle United defender he has ‘huge’ respect for amid contract speculation

Chatter is already abuzz with who might be joining the ranks at St James’s Park next season, however, there are still a few key decisions that need to be made ahead of the window opening.

One of those decisions is what to do about the players whose contracts are coming to an end in just a few months time.

New deals for Fabian Schar and Sean Longstaff have been talked about, but Paul Dummett’s future at the club remains a mystery.

The 30-year-old’s contract at St James’s Park runs out at the end of the season but Eddie Howe has revealed that he wants to keep the defender, who he describes as a ‘leader’ at the club:

“I really, really like Paul,” Howe said when asked about the defender’s future.

“Behind the scenes he’s had a really consistent run where he has trained and I think that’s what he needed because he had various injuries before I came to the football club.“He’s a leader, he may not be the most vocal, but in terms of being a role-model for everyone at the club.

“Considering his history at the club whilst he’s been here and his journey through [the ranks].

“He’s got a huge amount of respect internally from the staff and from players in the way he conducts himself and I think he’s a very, very good player on top of that so he’s certainly someone that we want to keep at the club.”