A few Newcastle United fans have been discussing if the club should be looking to sell a range of our fringe players in January.
Head coach Steve Bruce omitted a wide clutch of fringe players from his first 25-man Premier League squad at St. James’ Park in the summer, including the likes of Jack Colback, Henri Saivet, Rolando Aarons and Jamie Sterry.
The club were able to secure temporary exits for Aarons, Achraf Lazaar and Jacob Murphy, but £35,000-per-week duo Colback and Saivet, plus Sterry, remained with the Toon and have spent the past few months training with the first-team group, despite being ineligible to play in the top-flight.
January would present the club with our last chance to secure a transfer fee for Colback, with the £1.8million-rated 30-year-old’s contract expiring in June, and reports have suggested he could see his deal torn up in the winter.
Bruce is understood to be looking at ways he can raise funds to tackle the mid-season market, and sees the expensive outcasts like Colback and Saivet – whose contract runs to 2021 – as players that can make way for new faces to arrive.
What should the club do with Colback in January?
Look to sell him
Terminate contract
Bring into 25-man squad
Ki Sung-Yueng, who is a part of Bruce’s 25-man squad, has also found minutes hard to come by since the departure of Rafa Benitez, with the South Korean only awarded three Premier League appearances, one start, thus far this term.
The £4.05m-rated 30-year-old has not made a matchday squad since the 5-0 defeat away to Leicester City in September, either, and is a player that Bruce is willing to lose in January with his contract also expiring in the summer.
Here are some of the messages shared from fans discussing the future of our outcast senior players…
Yes, our squad needs trimming for sure. But would like to keep Ki until the end of the season, unless we can cash in and replace. Murphy on season long loan isn’t he? #NUFC https://t.co/SSQ5lkvz90
— NUFC 360 (@NUFC360) December 11, 2019
We dont need to keep ki.
— Dean Dodds (@doddsy1991) December 11, 2019
Colback, Sterry and Saivet ain’t even in the squad.. I agree they need to go though.
Muto is a strange one just never seems to have been given a proper chance
— Lassa Blanc (@lassablanc) December 11, 2019
Do we know why Ki doesn’t get games? Great player I always thought.
— James (@liosi) December 11, 2019
Also add lazaar to the list
— Kyle (@Geordiekylee) December 11, 2019
And we need to lose a rb no point having 3, krafth is only suited to a back 4 so maybe try get him a loan move to get some game time
— Gbaz (@gbaznufc) December 11, 2019
I’d still like Aaron’s back , there’s a great player in there… but agree with the others , the sales would pay for another option up front
— Ian Solo (@IanSolo75) December 11, 2019
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