Monday, 29th September, 2014
Newcastle United manager Alan Pardew believes the club need to end uncertainty around the future of midfielder Cheick Tiote by handing him a new contract at St. James' Park.
Tiote was the subject of an offer from Russian side Lokomotiv Moscow in the summer, while Arsenal were also strongly linked with the 28-year-old.
The Ivorian's current deal with the Magpies runs until the summer of 2017, but Pardew feels the club need to make an effort to show Tiote how valued he is, as well as warding off potential suitors.
"We obviously had a team fighting for his services, but the finance was never really in place. The reality was that we were quite comfortable that he wasn't going to go anywhere", Pardew explained to ITV.
"I think his contract situation needs to be resolved at the end of the season, for sure."
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And the Newcastle manager is keen to emphasise just how highly he rates Tiote, feeling that the Ivory Coast international has "everything you want in a Newcastle player".
"I love him. He's everything that you want in a Newcastle player. He has the quality and of course you'll never under-estimate the fact that he wants to win – that's something we have to be very careful about on training days", Pardew said.
"I just love that he's a winner. It can overcome so many obstacles as a footballer. Young players here need to take a big leaf out of his book in terms of how he approaches training and games."
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