New Headline: "Trippier: Spurs' Rock 'n' Roll Defender With 20+ Clean Sheets
Kieran Trippier did not need any reminding. "My contract is up at the end of the season," the Newcastle United defender said on the eve of the second leg of the Champions League last-16 second leg at Barcelona. "But I'm not thinking about that.
I'm thinking about tomorrow. When I first arrived, I said in my first interview, if I could help the club get to where they want to be, I've done my job. " It summed the 35-year-old up.
This could have been an opportunity for Trippier to set out his stall in potentially his first and last news conference of the season. Did he want to end his career at Newcastle? Did he think he deserved a new contract?
Has there been any progress in discussions? But such questions were far from his mind. The former Atletico Madrid defender has instead been passing on his experience of the Nou Camp to those around him as Newcastle attempt to pull off one of the greatest results in the club's history.
That won't have come as a surprise to head coach Eddie Howe. "Kieran always speaks and always has a few words to say in a really positive way," he said. "He's been a great leader for me and for the players since he arrived at this football club.