Gutierrez staying put

Argentina winger wants to help Magpies get back to top flight

Last updated: 28th November 2009   Subscribe to RSS Feed

Gutierrez staying put

Gutierrez: Staying put

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Newcastle winger Jonas Gutierrez insists he will not be flying away from the Magpies in the January transfer window.

The 26-year-old, who moved to Newcastle from Real Mallorca in July 2008, has put in eye-catching performances on the left wing for the Championship table-toppers.

This has led some to speculate that the Argentina international may wish to move to a club in the top flight or La Liga, especially as it is a World Cup year.

But Gutierrez has stated he is happy with life at St James' Park and he wants to stay and help Chris Hughton's side get back into the Premier League.

Happy

The Argentinean told the Northern Echo: "January does not mean anything to me.

"Regardless of what happens in terms of other clubs, I'm not going anywhere.

"I really enjoy playing for Newcastle and my family are happy here. All I am thinking about is getting Newcastle back into the Premier League."

Some questioned whether the winger would have been able to cope with the hard demands of the Championship but Gutierrez says his time with Velez Sarsfield in the Argentinean top-flight prepared him.

Contact

He said: "Argentinean football isn't soft. It's not all about flair and skill. The style might be different in South America, but it's still football and the defenders still do the same things in Argentina as they do here.

"It's more physical here perhaps, but we can adapt to it. I don't think it's dirty - I don't have a problem if defenders want to kick me. It's a contact game and you can't complain about it."

He added: "All the games we play in this division are hard.

"We are the big team and it is always a battle. I think we found it a little bit difficult to adjust at first. But we are better prepared for it now."