By admin 
Journalist Andrew Musgrove has urged Newcastle United to maintain Jamaal Lascelles next season.
Is Jamaal Lascelles leaving Newcastle?
The club captain has been with Newcastle since 2014, when he came from boyhood club Nottingham Forest alongside Karl Darlow in a £7 million double-swoop.
Since then, Lascelles has made 225 appearances for the club, captaining them to the Championship title and subsequent promotion to the Premier League in 2016/17.
However, after the appointment of Eddie Howe in 2021, the Englishman’s game time has been restricted, with the 29-year-old making just 11 appearances for the team last season.
Despite this, it is thought that the central defender remains an important figure on Tyneside and has been a big influence in the Magpies dressing room amid the club’s return to the Champions League for the first time in 20 years.
While there will be more matches for Newcastle next season, Football Insider reports that Lascelles will have to leave St James’ Park this summer if he wants to get more regular first-team football, with competition for places potentially getting even tougher if reports about the club’s interest in Sporting CP defender Goncalo Inacio come to bear fruit.
Reports from earlier this year stated that a sensational return to Nottingham Forest was potentially on the cards this summer, with Steve Cooper wanting to add more experience to his side. However, that interest hasn’t ended up resulting in a bid just yet.
Lascelles’ contract runs until the summer of 2024 and it seems unlikely that the Magpies will be offering the defender a new deal, so this summer would be the final chance for the side to cash in on the player who is closing in on 10 years on Tyneside.
But speaking on the Everything is Black & White YouTube channel, Musgrove stated that he disagrees with the result of a fan poll which stated that over 20,000 fans believed the club should sell Lascelles, citing the 29-year-old’s experience and influence, as well as the quality he still has as reasons to keep him around.
Musgrove said: “He hasn’t kicked off at losing his place – he’s taken it in his stride and he’s put his focus and attention elsewhere and become a real benefit to Newcastle United off the pitch.
“A lot of you guys will remember him picking up two bookings as a substitute, and that’s the kind of thing that really reaffirms just how important he is off the pitch; he’s always fighting for the club, even if he isn’t kicking a ball for 90 minutes.
“And he’s got the right attitude, because let’s be honest, a lot of club captains who are suddenly out of the side would’ve kicked off, they would not have been happy. And I’m sure he’s not happy at not playing, but he understands the bigger picture and he really has handled essentially being benched really, really well.
“And when he did come in against Manchester City and Liverpool, I thought he did very well – and I think he can still play a big part in Newcastle’s future, particularly next season.”
This summer, Lascelles must make a major career decision.
He is now 29 years old and should be nearing the peak of his career. Does he want to spend it playing regular Premier League games at his childhood club, or captaining the team he has been with for the past nine seasons into their first Champions League campaign in almost two decades?
The fact that he only has a year left on his contract could impact the decision, since he could go in the summer of 2024 and clubs would not have to pay a fee. However, if he just plays a few minutes every game next season, teams will have to decide whether to take a chance on him.
It’s a big call for the defense to make, but he has two very enticing options no matter what.