Kieran Trippier has been an important presence on Tyneside for several years now.
He was the first major signing to arrive following the takeover in 2021 and his experience and quality shone through immediately, helping us survive then secure a top four finish in Eddie Howe’s first full season.
A few years on, he’s had a few dips – personal issues, losing the captaincy to Bruno and his starting spot to Livramento – but he’s been superb in recent months, shining in the Carabao Cup final and in our upturn in league form in recent months.
The question is, will he still be at St James’ Park next season as he enters the final 12 months of his contract?
The i’s North East reporter Mark Douglas been discussing Kieran Trippier’s future at Newcastle United and the key factor that could see him stay another season.
He reports that club ‘insiders’ believe the 34-year-old is ‘likely’ to stick around if Champions League football returns to St James’ Park, with the veteran defender keen to have another crack at Europe’s elite competition.
The same piece states that he remains the standard-setter in the dressing room and a huge presence off the pitch, while his displays on the field have been superb in recent weeks; highlighted by his outstanding display in our 2-0 win at Wembley and two assists in last weekend’s 3-0 victory over Ipswich.
Douglas reveals that his time on Tyneside ‘felt up’ when he lost the captaincy to Bruno Guimaraes last summer, while offers came his way in January from Saudi Arabia, the United States and Europe.
However, Eddie Howe remains a huge fan of the experienced full-back and has seen him role back the years on the pitch since Lewis Hall’s injury has seen former starting right-back Tino Livramento move to the left.
It’s clear Eddie Howe has no plans to lose the full-back this summer, even if he has entered the twilight years of his career at 34-years-old.
Discussing his future, Howe said this when asked if he hopes to keep the right-back on Tyneside: “It goes without saying. We want to keep our best players and add to the squad if possible, that’s a big thing.”
“He is a difference-maker for us. He has obvious qualities on the pitch, but he is a leader and his experience helps us in so many ways,” Howe said last week.
Lose Trippier and you miss a massive voice on and off the pitch and have a big hole to fill in the squad, with a new right-back needed should we let him depart. It would almost certainly be his last season, but I’m hoping he has another year on Tyneside.
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