Southampton forward Shane Long has agreed a new two-and-a-half-year deal with the club.
According to Football Insider, Southampton are poised to announce Long’s new contract, which will keep him at the club until the summer of 2022.
The report claims that Long was set to be out of contract at the end of the season, but Southampton have moved to keep him at St. Mary’s with an extended deal.
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It is interesting to see that Southampton have extended Long’s contract by another two seasons, rather than just one. He recently turned 33 and will be 35 by the end of his current deal, which suggests that the club has faith in his ability to maintain his levels, despite his age.
One extra season would have allowed Southampton to see how Long coped with the pace of the Premier League before seeing if he could handle another year. Instead, there is now a possibility that he could start to tail off next term and then be stuck at St. Mary’s for another year.
Hopefully, though, Long will be able to stay consistent and be a useful player for Southampton.
Long’s incredible running off the ball opens up space for others and creates opportunities for his teammates.
His intelligent play allows Danny Ings with the freedom to do what he does best – score goals – and helps Southampton overall as a team.
This is why extending his deal is a smart move by the club, although there are still some question marks over whether or not it should have been for just one season.
