Would this be £6 million well spent by Newcastle?

There are three players that Newcastle are looking to tie-down to new contracts. Captain Fabricio Coloccini and midfielder Danny Guthrie are both set to be offered new deals, but it appears that right back Danny Simpson isn’t ready to sign a new contract just yet. There are reports today that Simpson has been offered a new five-year-deal that will more than double his salary, but is the 25-year-old worth the multi-million investment?

Depending on which story you read, Simpson has been offered a contract worth in the region of £5-6 million. The Sunday Mirror has reported that Danny has yet again rejected the contract that Newcastle have put on the table. This deal is thought to double Simpson’s wages to £20,000 a week, but doesn’t include an appearance bonus. The Sunday Sun meanwhile reports the offer is even larger, and is a five-year-deal worth £25,000 a week, which will amount to more than £6m over the next half a decade, but with Simmo stalling on signing on the dotted line, is he just being greedy?

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With the amount of money involved, you have to say yes. Simpson is a decent player, but will never be a world-beater, so it is a little surprising that he isn’t willing to commit to a club that he now regards as his home. However, given the amount of money that some Premier League players of a similar ability to Simmo earn, then I guess the offer on the table isn’t overly generous. Given how solid Simpson has been, I think this is a fair offer and with a little bit more negotiation I’m convinced Danny will eventually put pen to paper.

Newcastle manager Alan Pardew is also pretty confident about securing his players to new deals. He told the Sunday Sun: “We’ve had conversations with them all (in the last two weeks) I can see a little bit of light at the end of the tunnel now. I can understand why fans are concerned but we’re making progress. It’s not easy, contracts, and we’re trying to do what’s best for the football club and what’s best for the player. Sometimes they are worlds apart.” I don’t think Newcastle and Simpson are that far apart and that negotiations will be completed at the end of the season.

There are many Newcastle fans that won’t think that Simpson is worth the money, but I think the deal on the table is reflective of his contribution to the club. While £6 million seems like a lot of money, spread over five years and compared to the wages of players of a similar talent, I think this is a fair offer that Simmo will sign, eventually.

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