Newcastle’s Matt Ritchie has dropped an enticing transfer claim about where he thought his future was during the January window, with the summer transfer period now not too far away.
The Lowdown: Ritchie’s future was uncertain
Ritchie’s future at the St. James’ Park faithful was uncertain when the January transfer window came along.
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The Scotland international was strongly linked with a Deadline Day exit back to his old club in AFC Bournemouth, but that move never came into fruition.
Of course, those rumours were joined a month later by the story of a bust-up in training between the Scot and manager Steve Bruce.
The Latest: Ritchie thought he was leaving
Ritchie has since spoken to Sky Sports about how close he was to leaving the North East just a few months ago, to which he claimed: “If I’m honest, yes, I thought my Newcastle career was over”.
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The former Portsmouth man, who currently earns £45,000-per-week, still remains at the Tyneside club, and it has ended up being a good decision not to let him go.
The Verdict: Ritchie still important to Newcastle
Ritchie is still an important player for the Magpies, as shown by him starting in their last five games in the Premier League in the 2020/21 term (Transfermarkt).
The 31-year-old still has a lot to offer both off of the pitch with his experience and leadership, as well as on it, as former Cherries boss Jason Tindall saw when he described him as a ‘fantastic’ player back in January – when his side were linked with the versatile man.
Nonetheless, in case there is any revived interest in the summer to sign Ritchie, the Toon should look to keep hold of the winger at all costs.
In other news, find out what transfer boost NUFC have received here!
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