Newcastle United are going through a transitional phase as they look set to get new owners and possibly new players, following the likely departure of current owner Mike Ashley. While the future of manager Rafa Benitez is still up in the air, Newcastle’s management team are on the lookout to strengthen the squad.
A recent report from The Mag has said that the Magpies’ players who were on loan would return to the club on July 4 for pre-season, including Henri Saivet, who was at Turkish club Bursaspor, where he spent a full season on loan.
This was Saivet’s second spell at a Turkish club having spent the second half of the 2017-18 season at Sivasspor. The Senegal international was a key player for Bursaspor, playing 29 games for the club in the 2018-19 season. He ended the season with two goals and two assists in the Turkish league.
The midfielder has so far spent just two seasons with the English club since signing for them in 2016 for £5 million. Saivet has played just 8 games in total in all competitions in the 2015-16 and 2017-18 seasons.
He is currently with the Senegal national team who are playing in the African Cup of Nations competition.
Should the Magpies give him a chance next season?
Newcastle United have to add quite a few players in key positions to challenge for a top 10 position in the next season. The likes of Saivet, Jack Colback, Dwight Gayle, Rolando Aarons and Achraf Lazaar will return to the squad next season to strengthen the numbers, but it seems unlikely that any one of these players will stand a chance of playing in the Newcastle first team next season.
Saivet hasn’t been afforded too many opportunities in the Newcastle first-team since signing for the club due to the numerous options in central midfield.
And it seems like that won’t change in the 2019-20 season as well. Newcastle’s stand out young star of recent times, Sean Longstaff will probably occupy one of the two spots in central midfield, while the likes of Jonjo Shelvey and Ki Sung-yueng are players with a lot more Premier League experience and of better quality than Saivet.
Even though Isaac Hayden is likely to make an exit, it is time for Newcastle to let go of Saivet and buy players of much better quality ahead of the 2019-20 season.
