Saivet had fallen down the Newcastle pecking order and decided to join Sivasspor in January.
Joining Newcastle in 2016, the plan for midfielder Henri Saivet was to break into the Toon’s starting line-up sooner rather than later and begin to mirror his excellent Bordeaux form in the north of England.
Fast forward less than two years and Saivet is struggling on the bench at Turkish SuperLig side Sivasspor, after falling down the pecking order under Newcastle manager Rafa Benitez.
The Senegal international has managed just eight Newcastle appearances since joining the club in 2016 – signed by former manager Steve McClaren. But the likes of Jonjo Shelvey and Mo Diame sit above him in the pecking order.
It saw Saivet take action and decide to join Sivasspor in January, which has seen him team up with former Manchester City and Real Madrid star Robinho as well as ex-Everton striker Arouna Kone.
In what was a move to either show Benitez what he was missing or indeed showcase his talent to any interested parties, Saivet has been afforded little more than the status of a fringe player.
Seven appearances for the Turkish side – two of which are starts – in three months has seen Saivet go backwards in terms of career prospects and is now in danger of being frozen out once again at St. James’ Park.
Just 253 minutes in total with the Turkish side will have hardly convinced Benitez to give Saivet another chance. It may now be a case of Saivet’s agent working tirelessly to find a buyer for the flop midfielder.
But with three years left on a contract the Daily Star claims is worth £35,000 a week, Saivet has the potential to become one of those players that are willing to see out their big-money contract at a club without playing.
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