Henri Saivet has opened up on his ill-fated spell at Premier League giants Newcastle United, telling So Foot that he had to ‘force’ a move away from St James’ Park after being outcasted by Rafa Benitez.
Fortune certainly wasn’t on Saivet’s side during his time on the banks of the Tyne.
Steve McClaren, the manager who brought the Senegal international across the Channel from Bordeaux in January 2016, was given his marching orders just two months into Saivet’s Newcastle career. Hardly an ideal introduction.
And with predecessor Benitez doing everything in his power to save the club from relegation, the former Liverpool and Chelsea boss had little desire to ease in a player who still needed time to adapt to a new league and a new culture.
Henri Saivet played just five Premier League games for Newcastle United
“I signed for a good club, but not at the right time. The coach who signed me got fired after four games. Rafa Benitez, the new coach, had other ideas,” explains the former Bordeaux playmaker.
“In my contract, I had a clause which said that, in the event of relegation, I could leave. My goal was not to play in the Championship, but higher up.
“There are things that happened internally that I had no control over. Newcastle blocked me from leaving, demanded unrealistic re-sale percentages and turned down a lot of offers when I wasn’t playing. Even for loans.
“I had to force my departure. Even today, it annoys me, because I have no answers. I never understood why I wasn’t more integrated into the club’s project, when the players who were in my place on the pitch honestly weren’t better than me.”
Former Bordeaux ace now back in France
Remarkably, Saivet was forced to wait five long years to be freed from his St James’ shackles. He made a grand total of five Premier League games in that time, while embarking upon loan spells at St Etienne, Bursaspor and Sivasspor.
You’d be forgiven, then, for assuming that Saivet wishes he could turn back the clock.
“In terms of football, no (I don’t regret joining Newcastle),” the 31-year-old adds. “I had fun, I experienced extraordinary atmospheres. St James’ Park is a magnificent stadium.
“Signing for Newcastle opened doors to big clubs like Saint-Étienne and allowed me to have the opportunity to discover Turkey; to play in a league that I did not know and where I had an exceptional time.
“My departure even brought my club some money at a time when they certainly needed it, so zero regrets there.”
Saivet is back in France these days with second-tier Pau FC. He has four goals in nine Ligue 2 games at his new club already.
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