Newcastle United defender reveals contract aim
and live on Freeview channel 276
The long-serving defender signed a new one-year deal in May after impressing new head coach Eddie Howe.
And the 30-year-old – who was once told by Alan Pardew that he wouldn’t make it at his boyhood club – is relishing his 10th season as a first-team player.
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide Ad“This is massive milestone,” said Dummett, who has made 191 league appearances for United. “I'm at the same stage I was when I was 21. I still have more to prove, and even though (Howe) has told me he likes me and wants me involved, I still have more to prove to him to show that after this season I'm worth another contract.
“I feel like I'm back to that stage, being 21-years-old, still having stuff to prove to the manager to show you deserve to be at the club.
“But it is a big thing, a big achievement, to have had 10 years playing in the first team at Newcastle.
“I grew up as a season-ticket holder, and then got told I would never play for Newcastle in Alan Pardew's first team. So yeah, looking back, you'd never have thought I'd be at this stage, standing there with a new contract for my 10th year.”
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide AdHowe praised Dummett’s “professionalism” after the club announced that he had signed a new deal.
“Paul’s a consummate professional who has given so much to this club,” said Howe. “He’s a player and a person I like very much.
"He leads by example both in the dressing room, and on the pitch, and I’m pleased to retain someone with his positive influence and defensive capabilities."
Howe hopes to guide the club, taken over last October, higher up the Premier League table.
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide Ad“It's an exciting time for the whole club,” United's official website ahead of next week’s training camp in Austria. “You can see with the season-ticket demand, the people queuing for tickets for the pre-season friendlies.
"Hopefully I can be involved as the club grows bigger and bigger. What the future might hold, I don't know, but it looks bright for the club. I want to be part of that for longer than just this season.”