Kieran Trippier remains a Newcastle United player. Just as Eddie Howe has always envisaged.
The closing of the Turkish transfer window on Tuesday officially brings an end to any minimal chance of the Magpies right-back departing. This, after Super Lig giants Galatasaray tested Newcastle’s resolve with a frankly laughable £2.5m offer for Trippier’s services in recent days.
The truth is it would have taken a monumental offer to even bring Newcastle to the negotiating table – and even then you can guarantee Howe would have fought to overrule the deal in order keep the 34-year-old at the club. With the St James’ Park outfit’s defensive options looking seriously thin on the ground, and given given the British transfer window closed over a week ago, Trippier’s exit was unthinkable.
Even had Newcastle been able to buy a replacement, Howe still would not have wilfully sanctioned an exit for the former Tottenham Hotspur man. It was a familiar story 13 months ago when Bayern Munich were at the table and last summer when interest had emerged from all corners of the globe.
There are few defenders who have the knowhow and experience that Trippier possesses. Howe knows this more than most. With a Carabao Cup final coming up against a vastly accomplished Liverpool side, the Newcastle dressing room needs a leader like him in it.
Not only that – but Trippier roared back to form in fine fashion in the semi-final second leg win over Arsenal, dropping a standout performance to remind any doubters that he still has a part to play in this team.
Trippier has had to settle for a bit-part role in recent months, with Tino Livramento attempting to make the right-back slot his own. Now, with the Wembley showpiece weeks away, Trippier has a chance of wrestling that spot back should he stay fit.
For Howe, he has succeeded again in fending off interest in the player’s signature. What happens in the summer is anyone’s guess but Newcastle’s leadership group has not been weakened as a busy business end of the campaign approaches.
“Yeah, no part of us wanted to lose Kieran,” Howe told reporters last week. “He’s had a difficult season and not so much on the pitch. He’s had a couple of fitness issues that just halted his progress.
“He then came back into the team and had a really good couple of performances around Christmas time and showed his qualities again having not played a lot of football. To then play and perform in high-level games is a real skill and is not easy to do.
“He has been able to do that consistently for us. He then came in against Arsenal and I thought he was magnificent. Tino Livramento has had a really good season and obviously Emil Krafth can play at right back, so there is real competition for places.
“We love the players we have. But Kieran is unique, there is no-one can do what he can do – set-play delivery, passing ability and his overall leadership in unique. He is someone we definitely see hopefully staying and having a big impact in the second half of the season.”
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