Thrilled Guthrie says it was a 'no-brainer' to commit his future to Cobblers and sign new deal

Committing his future to the Cobblers for another three years was a ‘no-brainer’ for central defender Jon Guthrie.

The newly-appointed club captain had a stellar first season at Sixfields but only signed a two-year contract when he joined last summer, leaving Northampton in the vulnerable position of potentially losing him for free in 12 months’ time.

However, both parties opened talks over a new deal earlier in the summer and it did not take long for an agreement to be reached which suited everyone.

"I’m buzzing to have it sorted,” said Guthrie. “I had a great first year at the club and I’ve really enjoyed my time here so it was a no-brainer for me.

"The length of the contract is a big plus for me because it gives me a lot of security. It means I can settle down and I know where I am going to be for the next three years.

"I’m really grateful to the club for that and I think it works both ways because I didn’t want to have to go into next summer with my future up in the air. I have myself a family and I have a wife and baby to look after so I didn’t want that uncertainty.

"As soon as the club made it clear that they wanted to offer my a new deal, I just wanted to get it done.”

Aside from missing out on promotion at the end of last season, Guthrie has had a dream first 12 months at Sixfields. He made 50 appearances across all competition in 2021/22, subsequently made the EFL League Two Team of the Season and was then appointed club captain by Jon Brady in pre-season.

"Taking away how last season ended, I don’t think my time here could have gone much better both on a personal level and for the team,” Guthrie added.

"Hopefully we can go one better this season and I can have another strong year personally. The gaffer and Colin (Calderwood) have been great since the very first chat I had with them both.

"They really welcomed me into the club and they are really good with all of the lads and they help make it a really good club to be part of. It’s a great environment, the staff and the lads are all great so there were so many reasons for wanting to stay.”