|
The 32-year-old this afternoon signed a new contract to end months of speculation about his future.
Alan Pardew will be delighted to secure the Guildford born man's signature. Despite missing nearly two years with a cruciate ligament injury he came back brilliantly last season to fill in when required to do so.
Newman is not expected to feature regulary next season, but is an extremely good squad player.
A delighted Ricky Newman revealed that he didn't seriously want to leave the club.
"It wasn't a difficult decision to make," he said, speaking to Reading World.
"The manager gave me the summer to think about it, and I talked to a number of clubs but I wanted to sign for Reading and I'm happy with the deal."
It is likely that Newman re-signed on reduced terms. Many players are facing a wage cut when their contracts come up for renewal as clubs have to reduce costs in the wake of the ITV Digital collapse.
Ricky was present as the Royals got their 2003-04 campaign underway today with their first morning of pre-season training. Their first fixture is just over a week away. Alan Pardew's side travel to Griffin Park to play Brentford on Wednesday 16th.