What Cheik Tiote's New Contract Means for Newcastle United

After a half-season stint at St. James' Park on loan from Twente, little-known Ivorian defensive midfielder Cheik Tiote has finally put pen to paper and agreed to hang round for just a bit longer. By "just a bit longer," I mean six and a half more years—a decently sized contract by any standards.

For most Newcastle United fans, this comes as a massive boost. In his time at the club, he's proven to be an absolutely ingenious discovery, with even our own Harrison Priest pointing out his significance to the 2010/2011 season.

Personally, I agree with him. I don't believe it's a coincidence that the club's recent form slump occurred during his four-week suspension (featuring two winnable draws and a disappointing loss to Fulham).

Ignoring for a moment his awesome volley against Arsenal, he's an extremely hard worker, a physical asset on defence and one of the team's most passionate players. In a sense, he embodies the spirit of Newcastle United—all while having a first name that makes writers wake up in a cold sweat.

When you consider how dismal Alan Smith was against Stevenage, it becomes apparent that Tiote is one of the harder players for United to replace. If someone like Joey Barton leaves, Hatem Ben Arfa can step up and replace him and the side can still work well together. But Tiote's absence would be keenly felt.

If what he says is anything to go by, the news means he's happy at the club, enjoying plenty of game-time, getting on well with the squad and holding no issues with the way things are run (Roberto Mancini, if you're reading this, take note).

For a club that's hoping to break into the Europa League in the near future, the fact he's finally committed himself after weeks of transfer speculation is widely hailed as an excellent boost.

However, the news is also being received with a degree of cynicism from the more jaded members of the Toon Army. After all, if the Andy Carroll saga is anything to go by, it seems contracts aren't exactly the strongly binding force they used to be.

After Carroll's dramatic departure, it's easy to think that the club's administrators negotiated the contract only to increase the value of offers from potential suitors like Chelsea—who have already been shown to have both the money and the interest for another news-breaking deal.

But only time will tell the real intentions of the parties involved.