Coloccini, 33, arrived at Newcastle from Deportivo La Coruna in August 2008 and his new contract will ensure he remains at St James’ Park until the end of the 2016/17 season.
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“It’s been going on too long but luckily the club have sat down with him, I’ve said I want him as captain here we’ve got a senior group of players, I’ve asked every one of them and they want him here as captain and as a player”.
“I know the club want me to stay, and this year they will bring in some players”, The Shields Gazette quotes Sissoko as saying. Captaining Newcastle makes me so proud.
“I’ve said to Lee Charnley, “wow, we’ve got to keep this guy”. There were rumors involving Coloccini being linked to Alan Pardew’s new club, Crystal Palace, along with rumors of the skipper being homesick and unsettled at Newcastle United.
But McClaren said the importance of Coloccini’s presence going forward could not be underestimated.
“I am also happy to continue as captain of this football club”. He has made 248 appearances for the Magpies, scoring six goals.
“Making his statement before the West Ham game, I think it was a breath of fresh air and shows the ambition”, added McClaren, who was sacked by Derby in May. His aggressive style of defending him led to a rash of clumsy challenges and maximum exposure to the rest of the defense, leaving Mike Williamson all alone in the center of the back line to fend off whatever comes at him. “If we need any more I’m sure we’ll be knocking asking for some”.
Newcastle’s players trained in front of around 14,000 fans in an open session on Tuesday and despite just two wins from seven pre-season games, McClaren was praiseworthy of his players’s attitudes ahead of their opener at home to Southampton.
Toney, who has signed what the club described as a “long-term” deal and will initially work with Peter Beardsley’s development squad, follows the arrivals of Georginio Wijnaldum, Chancel Mbemba and Aleksandar Mitrovic.
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The 33-year-old first received the armband in the 2011/12 season and was a key figure in the side that managed to finish fifth in the Premier League and qualify for the Europa League.
