After successfully helping Newcastle United to Premier League safety less than a week ago, the club has announced that the midfield duo of Jonas Gutierrez and Ryan Taylor are set to leave the club on a free transfer at the end of their contracts on June 30th.
The decision has been met with mixed emotion from the Newcastle United faithful, some viewing it as disrespectful and upsetting, whilst others seeing it as a positive move by the board, allowing the club to move forward.
The well-documented situation of Jonas Gutierrez’s battle with testicular cancer and his amazing return to Premier League football was a fairytale story, however that was not the final twist in the tale as the Argentine winger sealed Newcastle’s survival in the 86th minute of the match on the final day of the season, scoring against West Ham United to secure a victory. No doubt it has been an emotionally and physically draining couple of years for Gutierrez, but to go out on a high like he did and save such a great club from the claws of relegation is undoubtedly the best way to end his 7-year tenure on Tyneside. Almost every Newcastle fan was pleading with the board to offer Gutierrez a new contract after the journey he has undergone, but it is the most practical and thoughtful decision to release him. In the build up to the final game of the season, it has been clear in a number of matches that despite Jonas’s heart being in the game, his body is not up to the test and while it has been a remarkable recovery, another gruelling pre-season schedule and Premier League season would not be the best course of action for Gutierrez who turns 32 in July. It is also likely that if he was offered another one-year deal he would either sit on the bench for the majority of the season or frustrate the St James’ Park faithful with performances not up to the sufficient standard. Offering him a contract would display the club as a backward thinking club and would show a lack of willingness to invest, which the fans have been protesting about all season.
Ending his Newcastle United story now is the best way to go, leaving as a hero, remembered as a Geordie legend, which is why a sentimental contract offer would not only have damaged his body, but damaged his reputation in Newcastle United folklore.
Another fan favourite Ryan Taylor, is also set to leave the club at the end of his contract, after enjoying six years at St James Park. Affectionately remembered for his ‘Over The Wall’ free-kick against fierce rivals Sunderland that won the game 1-0 for United, Taylor’s Newcastle career was sadly marred by numerous serious injuries, including successive Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) injuries in 2012 and 2013 which left him sidelined for 26 months. The Liverpool-born full-back returned however, putting in a stellar performance against Manchester City in the League Cup securing passage to the next round in a famous 2-0 victory. Yet, it is apparent, much like that of Gutierrez, that Taylor no longer has the legs to be a central midfielder or full-back in the Premier League, as proven by his whole-hearted, but poor performances in Newcastle’s slip in form at the end of the 2014-15 season. Taylor turns 31 in August and would likely be languishing in the U21 squad or on the bench for much of the 2015-16 season if he was offered a new deal. This would also show the club not to be as forward-thinking as Mike Ashley’s Sky interview before the final game of the season.
While it is sad to think that the “Ryan Taylor Over The Wall” and “Oh Gutierrez from Buenos Aires” songs will no longer be sung heartily from the Gallowgate and Leazes Ends at St James Park, it is the appropriate time to bid farewell to two of the current squad’s longest servants. Overall, it opens up two squad places for next season which will need to be filled by August. Newcastle will not settle for mediocrity as the club must now sign up fresh, new talent to replace two players who will live long in the memory of every fan.
