Sven Botman recently signed a new contract at Newcastle United, extending his stay at St James’ Park until 2030.
Newcastle United’s only major deal agreed this month has seen Sven Botman commit his future to the club.
Botman joined The Magpies from Lille in the summer of 2022 and quickly established himself as a key player in Eddie Howe’s side.
The Dutch centre-back formed part of a Newcastle side that boasted the joint-best defensive record in the Premier League during the 2022/23 season as the side finished fourth and qualified for the Champions League in his debut campaign.
But recent seasons have seen injuries take their toll and Botman’s impact on the side limited.
The 26-year-old is currently back fit and starting for Newcastle as he looks to get back to his very best on a consistent basis following his new deal.
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NUFC have already agreed long-term deal with one of the Premier League’s ‘best’
Reflecting on Botman’s time at the club so far, Howe hailed the defender as ‘one of the best defenders in the Premier League’ during his debut season.
“Sven, when he first came to the club, was sort of an instant hit with us,” Howe said. “Pretty much came into the team straight away.
“I think it took him seven or eight games to break through. But his early form in that first season was magnificent. He was part of a back four that conceded very few goals, part of a team that suffered very few defeats.
“He adapted to life in the Premier League very quickly. Unfortunately, we've lost him for a period of time due to injury and that's been the hardest part of his time here.
“But we're delighted to have him back now and hopefully he can get back to the form of when he was at his very best. Because for me, when he was at that level, he was one of the best defenders in the Premier League without a doubt.”
Sven Botman explains why he signed new deal at NUFC amid interest from elsewhere
Botman’s previous contract at Newcastle signed when he first joined the club was set to expire in June 2027. As a result, there were several clubs, including Liverpool and Chelsea, monitoring the defender’s situation with the view to swooping in and agreeing a cut-price deal in the summer.
Both clubs recently missed out on signing Marc Guehi from Crystal Palace as the defender entered the final six months of his contract. Manchester City swooped in to strike a deal worth an initial £20million after Liverpool saw a £35million move fall through at the start of the season.
Despite a tough couple of seasons on a personal level due to injury, Botman shut down any hope of Liverpool or Chelsea striking a cut-price deal by putting pen to paper on a new long-term deal at St James’ Park.
Explaining why he committed his future to Newcastle, Botman said: “Well, I definitely feel like I've got a lot to give still and I also think this club has huge potential. I just love to be part of it, love to achieve great success with the club and with myself as well.
“I think we had a great first season as well as a defence, like you said. This is something that I admired all my time when I'm defending to have clean sheets and it's definitely something I want to achieve more.
“With the injury, it was a difficult time. Even when I came back from my ACL, I played a few games and then had another injury.
“So, yeah, it was a difficult two years for me, but I feel like I'm getting back to full fitness, getting back to great form, and most importantly, just being fit and playing games and enjoying them.”
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