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Report: Newcastle senior trio exiled as Benitez looks to offload fan favourite
By Russell Edge
Newcastle manager Rafael Benitez has told three of his senior players to train with the academy as he looks to cut down his squad size ahead of next season.
The Chronicle report on their website that midfielder Henri Saivet, left-back Achraf Lazaar and goalkeeper Tim Krul have all been told that their futures lie away from Tyneside, and their agents should be looking to secure them moves elsewhere.
Newcastle have already sold Florian Thauvin and Daryl Murphy from the senior side, while Kevin Mbabu and Lubomir Satka were sales at reserve level.
Benitez’s decision to exile and offload the trio will see the departure of Newcastle’s current longest serving player Krul, with the goalkeeper a firm fan favourite having joined as a youngster and spent over ten years in the North East, with 185 appearances to his name.
However, the Dutch international was shipped out on loan last season as he looked to recover from a serious injury, but with Rob Elliot, Karl Darlow and Freddie Woodman all looking to compete for a place between the sticks, it seems that Krul will be the one to miss out on a chance to fight on.
Saivet was another who was shipped out on loan, as he spent the majority of last season at French side Saint Etienne, going on to make 35 appearances across all competitions.
He has managed to appear just four times for the Magpies since his arrival from Girondins Bordeaux, and his departure will likely be welcomed by fans.
Lazaar meanwhile was a new arrival just last summer, the 25-year-old arriving from Italian side Palermo.
However, he was unable to usurp Paul Dummett from the left-back slot during the Championship season, and ended up making just nine appearances across all competitions for the Magpies.
Football Insider verdict
The departures of Lazaar and Saivet will come as no surprise to the Toon Army this summer, as they failed to impress in the black and white shirts. However, Krul’s sale will bring a few more fans out of the woodwork, as they prepare to wave goodbye to one of their most loyal servants. The most experienced out of all the goalkeeping options at St James’ Park, Benitez’s decision to offload the Dutch international seems an odd one, and it may be that the serious injury suffered back in 2015 has stunted his ability. In any case, it is a sad end to the career of one of Newcastle’s more recent heroes, who had looked unbeatable between the sticks at times.
In other Newcastle news, the Magpies look set to launch a bid for this £10million-rated Brazilian midfielder, with fellow Premier League sides also in the hunt.
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