OPINION
Newcastle United must not panic over getting midfielder Isaac Hayden off their books despite him seeking a move as it’s clear that he will remain professional about the whole situation.
The wantaway Magpies 23-year-old spoke to the Chronicle about his desire to leave St James Park due to family reasons but clearly stated he knows he will have to deal with staying at the club in a professional manner if the club opt not to let him go.
“The club know my stance. I spoke to them at the start of the summer,” Hayden told the newspaper.
“I spoke to the manager, I spoke to the club. I let them know about the situation. I’ve done my bit for the club. I helped the club get promoted and I helped the club stay in the Premier League last season.
“I just hope that they can find a solution to help me with my situation. If not, I’m a professional, so I’m going to do my job, but they know my stance. It’s not changed.
“Football’s obviously important to me, but family’s a completely different ball game, and, for me, family takes precedence over football.
“I didn’t want to have to make the decision I made, but I felt there was no other alternative. I spoke with the club about it at the start of the off-season so they had plenty of time to be aware of it, but things haven’t materialised how I hoped they’d materialise. But, like I said, I’m still a professional. Whatever happens at the end of the window, I have to deal with it.”
It was previously revealed by the Daily Mirror that the 23-year-old Magpies midfielder was looking to end his two-year spell at St James Park for family reasons and had handed in a transfer request.
While the Magpies will clearly be unable to change Hayden’s mind about his future, there should be doubts about whether his wish to leave will be met as the the Chronicle stated that Rafa Benitez was reluctant to greenlight his exit as he was concerned that a replacement would not be successfully brought in for him.
This means that there is a real possibility that Hayden is at least stuck at the Magpies until January.
Normally when a player’s desire to exit isn’t met, it can lead to him being a toxic presence and a disruptive negative influence to have in the squad.
However clearly based on Hayden’s latest public remarks about his need for a move he is unlikely to become a toxic presence as he has boldly stated that he knows he will have to deal with staying.
These aren’t the comments of a man that is about to kick-up a fuss, while it may be a different story if the club fail to let him go in the next window, the Magpies should be reassured that they mustn’t panic if they fail to get him off their books after his latest remarks.
