Kevin Hatchard says Newcastle United transfer target Memphis Depay has ‘got that swagger’ and there’s no way he is going to remain as a back-up at Barcelona this month.
The Netherlands international is a wanted man by a host of Premier League clubs, including Eddie Howe’s Newcastle United.
But, according to European Football expert, Kevin Hatchard, his next destination will be staying in Spain and heading to Madrid to sign for Diego Simeone’s struggling Atletico side.
Whilst Barcelona are sitting at the top of La Liga, after a huge turnaround by the legendary midfielder Xavi, it’s not all rosy in the garden for everyone.
Depay, who was at the 2022 FIFA World Cup with the Netherlands where they got knocked out by eventual winners Argentina, is one of those players.
The 28-year-old has only played in two La Liga games, scoring in one of them, as Hatchard shared his thoughts on the £159k-a-week star, as he told Transfer Talk on Sky Sports.
“Barcelona I think are happy to allow him to go, which is kind of linked with the Aubameyang thing as well,” said Hatchard. “If Memphis went, then maybe they would look to bring Aubameyang in.
“He’s not a player that Xavi relies on at all. On the bench for the Spanish Super Cup against Real Madrid. There are so many forwards ahead of him.
“When he got there, they were in a situation where he was the main man under Ronald Koeman. He loved that. He loved the fact that he was the one carrying the fight. He was the one they relied on, and he has got that swagger.
“Memphis Depay isn’t the type of guy that wants to be sixth or seventh choice forward anywhere. There is talk of Atletico wanting to bring him in because they need someone to fill that Joao Felix role. I think that would make a lot of sense for the player and the clubs. I don’t expect him to be a Barcelona player at the end of the window.”
NEWCASTLE WON’T LOSE SLEEP
The Dutchman might have been a target of Newcastle’s, but they won’t lose too much sleep about losing his signature to another team.
Whilst Depay has faired much better since his ill-fated spell at Manchester United many moons ago, he hasn’t exactly ripped it up during his time at Barcelona.
Initially, it started off in a strong fashion, but as soon as more attacking depth was added and there was competition on the table, his form dipped and went out of the window.
Now, he would point towards a lack of regular game time as the reason for that, but if he does join Atletico Madrid, then it will be interesting to see if he can rip it up like his days at Lyon.
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