Key figure in Eddie Howe's Newcastle United side now assessing options after lack of minutes last season
When it comes to 'key' players for Newcastle United, there aren't many who fit into that description better than Kieran Trippier.
The 34-year-old was Eddie Howe's first signing as Newcastle boss following the PIF-backed takeover, and Newcastle bringing in a player of Trippier's calibre at a time when relegation looked almost certain, sent a strong message about the direction this new Newcastle United was going to take.
His arrival opened the door for the likes of Bruno Guimaraes, Alexander Isak and Sandro Tonali to buy into the project and get this new era rolling.
While Trippier was monumental in Newcastle's miracle survival in the 2021/22 season, it's safe to say that things haven't been as easy going for the former England star since, not helped by troubles off the pitch.
Kieran Trippier is weighing up his options this summer
Indeed, last year, Trippier was expected to leave Newcastle to put some distance between himself and the troubles at home, but a move never materialised, thankfully, as Trippier became an important player in the run-in at the end of last season following Lewis Hall's injury.
But given Trippier's game time came around as a result of someone else's misfortune, the former Atletico Madrid full-back is now thought to be assessing his options.
According to The Athletic, Trippier is considering a move, and while removing his £120,000-a-week salary would be a massive PSR boost for the club, Eddie Howe is keen to retain his services for the remainder of his contract at least, which still has 12 months remaining.
Newcastle would lose an influential voice if Kieran Trippier were to leave
For us, and indeed for Eddie Howe, it's not so much about what Trippier brings on the pitch as off it. He can still do a job on the field, he's proved that last season, but it's his leadership that will be a huge miss were he to leave.
When Trippier was struggling and his performances it an all-time low, we were keen to see him taken off the pitch, but while we may have intimated it was time to sell, we were also conflicted about the idea of him leaving he club.
We've often spoken about him returning to the club as a coach, and if he's not ready to hang up his boots or if he has no desire to go into coaching, then if we can get a couple of million for him this summer, it makes sense to do so. Otherwise, see about offering him a player-coach role with an understanding that game time would be limited. We're not sure how feasible this would be, or if either party would go for it, but it makes sense to us.
