NUFC keen to tie down Captain Colo

Newcastle are reportedly trying to tie down Club Captain Fabricio Coloccini to a new deal at the club.

Colo's compatriot Jonas Gutierrez put pen to paper on a deal that will see him stay with the cliub until 2015 which has raised hopes that perhaps a deal for Coloccini may be in the offing.

I don't need to say anything about the importance of Fabricio Coloccini. After a shaky first season in England he has gone from strength to strength and is the first name on the team sheet for me. Good job really given that he has the honour of being Club Captain.

The problem is going to be wages. Colo's wage is reported to be anywhere between £80,000 and £90,000 a week although I do remember that when we signed him the Deportivo website said he had agree a deal on around £35,000 a week. In short, whatever his wage, few can deny that he is a player who actually earns his corn.

The influence of Coloccini cannot be underestimated. Questions were raised when he was awarded the captaincy after the departure of Kevin Nolan but the Argentinian has quickly dispelled any concerns. Put simply he is a player who leads by example on the pitch and doesn't need to scream like a child in a fast food queue like Kevin Nolan. Leaders come in many shapes and sizes, and Colo is proving just that.

Will he sign? I'd like to think so. If he does then it will move to dispel one of my greatest fears about paying wages to current players. Jonas Gutierrez and his new deal kind of dispelled it a little bit, but keeping hold of Colo is on a completely different level to that and would show me at least that there is some form of commitment to build on what we have.

If, and it's a big if at the moment, the club can secure a player who has arguably been our most consistent performer over the last few seasons then perhaps the fans can start to be a bit more optimistic about the plans for the club.

Sign him up!