In Sunday’s print edition, The Sun (7/02, Page 60) has revealed that Newcastle United are planning to offer Federico Fernandez a short-term contract. It is believed that the Magpies want to tie the defender down to a new one-year deal, but the player hopes to pen a two-year contract to extend his stay at St. James’ Park (transcripted by The Boot Room).
Fernandez’s Solid Form At St. James’ Park This Season
The Argentine centre-back has been a useful squad player for Steve Bruce to call upon over the past couple of seasons. He has managed to get a regular run of games in the Premier League this season after making 16 appearances in the league while picking up two yellow cards in the process.
Fernandez has done well to average 1.5 tackles, 0.6 interceptions and 5.6 clearances per game in the English top-flight this season. He has even distributed the ball relatively well after completing 79.5% of his attempted passes in the top tier of England (stats via whoscored).
The way the 31-year-old has been playing of late, he deserves a new two-year contract. Bruce can now start to think about managing his minutes and using him sporadically in the coming seasons while using a younger defender in his first-team to play alongside Jamaal Lascelles or Fabian Schar (if he pens a new deal).
What Are The Argentine Defensive Ace’s Best Attributes?
Fernandez lacks the pace to make recovering runs at the back as father time is catching up with him. However, he can use his strong 1.90m frame and leaping ability to win some important headers for his side.
The Argentine veteran is also not afraid to put his foot through the ball to clear his lines when required. His no-nonsense approach to defending suits Bruce’s playing style quite well, which is why it makes sense for the Tyneside outfit to keep hold of him beyond the end of this campaign.
Will Extending Fernandez’s Contract Be A Good Move For The Magpies?
At the moment, Fernandez is more than capable of starting for the Magpies in the Premier League every week. As long as he can continue to perform at such a level, Bruce will have a use for him at St. James’ Park. At 31, Fernandez has still got a few good years left to play at a high level.
With all things considered, extending Fernandez’ contract will be a good move for Newcastle as he will add more depth to their squad in the coming seasons. Plus, an experienced campaigner like the Argentine could also inspire some of the younger players to get better in Bruce’s squad.
