The five players' futures Ross Wilson must address quickly as Newcastle United's new sporting director
Newcastle United confirmed on Saturday that Ross Wilson will be taking over as sporting director after they negotiated a release from his Nottingham Forest contract.
Wilson will fill the void left by Paul Mitchell, who spent 11 months in the role before handing in his notice when he realised he wasn't going to get his own way with his one ally at the club in Darren Eales also heading for the exit.
Already, the relationship between Ross Wilson and Eddie Howe seems better than the one between Howe and Mitchell ever did, which is a huge win in itself.
Obviously, Wilson's first big test in the eyes of fans will be the January transfer window, but before then, there are a few expiring contracts that need looking at, which The Chronicle have outlined today.
Ross Wilson has a few contract decisions to mull over involving Newcastle's ageing defenders
All five are defenders at differing stages of their careers and differing levels of importance, starting with Kieran Trippier, who doesn't have a clause in his current deal to trigger an extension.
Trippier has come close to leaving the club a couple of times, but does seem settled again, and even at 35, the former England international is showing no signs of slowing down. Tripps will be free to speak to foreign clubs in January with a view to a free transfer in the summer, so it's in the club's best interest to see if they can tie down the influential full-back for another year or two.
Fabian Schar is in a similar position, and the Swiss defender has spoken about ending his career at Newcastle. However, Malick Thiaw has displaced him in the starting XI, and that could cause Schar to have second thoughts. Hopefully, Wilson can convince him to stay on as he's still more than useful to have to support Thiaw.
Matt Targett will likely be left to run out his contract
Jamaal Lascelles and Emil Krafth are both reaching the end of their respective contracts, both are 31, and both are essentially squad players who don't really expect to get much time on the pitch. However, Krafth's versatility and professionalism have proved to be very useful on more than one occasion, while Lascelles still has a lot of influence behind the scenes. Both would be worth keeping around if possible.
It's not so positive for Matt Targett, however, who is currently doing well out on loan at Middlesbrough. The former Aston Villa man has never lived up to the promise he showed while at Newcastle on loan in that half-season when Howe took over.
If he can stay fit this season and keep performing for Middlesbrough, it's expected that the left-back will either make his move to Teesside a permanent one, or another club will see his worth and scoop him up on a free when his contract at Newcastle expires in June.
There's plenty there for Wilson to be getting on with in the short term, not to mention new deals for Sven Botman, Tino Livramento and Sandro Tonali.
