It seems like Achraf Lazaar is heading back to Newcastle United.
The Morocco international joined the Serie A side on a season-long loan in August and it was hoped that he would impress on his return to Italy to strengthen the chance of a permanent move away from St James’s Park.
But it looks like he is heading back to the North-East and it’s worth asking: Is Lazaar the worst signing that Rafael Benitez has made at Newcastle?
Benitez spent £3 million on bringing the former Palermo defender to Tyneside in 2016, which doesn’t seem like a lot of money, but it is a sum which the Spanish manager could have done with in his last two transfer windows.
He spent more on Grant Hanley and Matz Sels in the same transfer window, but at least those two played a role – albeit a small one – in getting United back to the Premier League, starting 14 Championship games between them.
Lazaar, on the other hand, hasn’t started a single league game for Newcastle, with all four of his appearances coming off the bench and lasting a total of 36 minutes, at an average of nine minutes per game.
Even someone like Jesus Gamez, signed for half of what Lazaar cost, has played 300 minutes of Championship and Premier League football in his stint at St James’s Park.
Benitez struggled to shift a lot of deadwood from his squad last summer and it looks like he’s going to have another hard time in trying to relocate Lazaar when he returns to Newcastle.
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