TIOTE DEAL BRIGHTENS MOOD (FOR NOW)

Did that actually just happen?

Here we all were, worrying about the futures of Joey Barton and Jose Enrique (full confession: I had an ominous post looking ahead to the summer all ready to go) — and then, BAM! Cheik Tiote has suddenly signed a new six-and-a-half year contract that, in theory, would keep him at Newcastle until the summer of 2017.

Of course, it's worth remembering that you-know-who had signed a five-year deal just a few months before being sold for you-know-how-much. But United manager Alan Pardew has said that owner Mike Ashley "wanted to make a statement" after a somewhat depressing January for Toon fans.

Well, at least the club is saying the right things and showing some intent.

Between the apparent stall in negotiations with Barton and Enrique basically saying he will be off in the summer (before backtracking), it was shaping up to be a worrying lead-in to the close season. Both are under contract through next season, meaning this summer is the time to either extend them or cash in. The rumored interest in Jonas Gutierrez from Serie A side Lazio and the host of big clubs sniffing around Tiote only added to the uncertainty. Would Newcastle try to build on this season and make a push for Europe or merely try to hold onto mid-table status again?

Obviously Manchester United or Chelsea could still come calling for Tiote with the sort of mega-offer that Newcastle won't be able to refuse. But today's news shows that United's hierarchy, while fiscally conscious, is making an effort to retain the club's top performers.

Last week representatives of the fan union United for Newcastle met with NUFC Head of Customer Relations Simon Esland, and UfN, not having a Web presence aside from its Facebook page, sent a summary of the meeting to a number of NUFC web sites for publication, including ShiteSeats.

During the meeting, Esland told UfN that Newcastle isn't a "selling club," of course with the caveat that every player has his price. He also said United is keen to hold on to some of the aforementioned players, but conceded it will be a "difficult summer."

Hopefully today's news means it will be slightly less difficult.