The Magpies may have the strongest squad in the Championship, but they could do with trimming the fat.
Cheick Tiote celebrates after scoring
Newcastle manager Rafael Benitez knows a thing or two about what makes a decent footballer – he’s worked with enough of them. Therefore, he took no time at all to sweep away the deadwood of the cumulative Pardew-McClaren regimes, sending the likes of Henri Saivet and Florian Thauvin back from whence they came.
And, with January now upon us, Benitez’s blood lust could be about to kick in once more – and there’s no shortage of victims at St James’.
Grant Hanley
“There was an awful lot of barging and clumsy challenges from Newcastle United’s summer signing,” Aberdeen legend Willie Miller told the BBC after Hanley’s error gifted Malta a goal against Scotland in October.
“He got himself dragged out of position and put in the kind heavy challenges that you don’t want to give away at international level.”
On the upside, Newcastle haven’t seen that side of Hanley. Though that’s probably because they haven’t seen any side of Hanley. With just one Championship start to his name, the opening day defeat to Fulham since you asked, the former Blackburn captain is firmly entrenched behind Ciaran Clark, Jamaal Lascelles and Chancel Mbemba in the pecking order.
A quick fire sale could yet recoup much of the £6 million Newcastle are said to have paid for him.
Cheick Tiote
Yes, he’s still there. Honestly. One thing that is for sure is that Tiote can’t be too thrilled with Newcastle blocking his alleged £6 million, £70,000-per-week move to China, only then to grant him all of 16 minutes of first-team action in the Championship.
The sight of Tiote and Yohan Cabaye dominating midfields and accumulating countless yellows is little more than a nostalgic memory these days.
Matz Sels
Just over a year ago, the Belgian Goalkeeper of the Year was saving an Alexandre Lacazette penalty in the Champions League. Now, he’s gifting goals to Robert Snodgrass in the EFL Cup. Another crucial spill against Hull hardly did Sels’ Newscastle first-team chances any help, with Karl Darlow and the returning Rob Elliot shunting the former Genk ‘keeper down to third place in the hierarchy.
And that’s without mentioning Tim Krul, recovering from a cruciate ligament injury on loan at Ajax – but with his eyes on a St James’ return.
Sels’ penchant for dropped crosses and an inability to command his area looks to have cut short a spell in a league known for its physicality, with his last league start coming back in October.
Emmanuel Riviere
Facundo Ferreyra and Xisco almost pale into insignificance compared to Riviere, a reliable goalscorer at Monaco who only found the net once in the Premier League. And it was hardly a classic, ricocheting the ball off his standing leg against QPR in Papiss Cisse-fashion.
These days, he’s played just 311 minutes on loan at an Osasuna side cut adrift at the bottom of La Liga with only 13 goals in their 15 league fixtures. The question is; who on earth would buy him? China?
Sammy Ameobi
It’s never easy living in your brother’s shadow. Especially when your older sibling is ‘Shola the Mackem slayer’. Tall and rangy but very little technique, Sammy has managed to make it to the age of 24 without ever really making an impact in his professional career. Oh, apart from that goal seven seconds into the second half against Spurs.
The former England Under-21 international is on loan at Bolton Wanderers until January but, perhaps aided by his crackerjack strike against Gillingham, Trotters boss Phil Parkinson confirmed the club are aiming to extend his stay. For the first time in 17 years, Newcastle could be an Ameobi-free zone.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
