OPINION
Newcastle United must win the reported race to sign Sassuolo midfielder Stefano Sensi so current Magpies player Isaac Hayden can swiftly exit the club in January.
The Chronicle reported that the Magpies had checked out the 23-year-old, who recently featured for Italy against the USA, but face competition for him from AC Milan, Inter Milan as well as potentially Juventus.
The newspaper shared that while Rafa Benitez’s priority isn’t to welcome new midfielders in January, the club are braced for Hayden to push for an exit in January after trying to leave in the summer due to personal reasons.
Given that in the three appearances Hayden has been allowed to make this season so far he has struggled to make any form of a positive contribution, the player needs a swift exit in January.
The 23-year-old was particularly gutless in his outing against Arsenal and it’s clear that player desires to call somewhere other than St James Park his home.
However given that Benitez doesn’t want to cut his nose off to spite his face as who knows when an injury crisis might strike, the Spanish manager will no doubt only ditch Hayden if a suitable replacement is welcome.
This means the Magpies simply must win the race for Sensi as not only is the 23-year-old international a promising talent who could aid Benitez, it would mean they’d be no delay to Hayden’s exit once the winter window opens.
Sensi is a midfielder with a bit of pace and is able to play pinpoint passes to help his side’s attack, so it’s easy to imagine him fitting into Benitez’s system at St James Park.
The 23-year-old may not have any Premier League experience but his quality is clear given that he has excelled in his eight appearances in Serie A for Sassuolo this season, racking up two assists in the process.
Therefore the Magpies have to do what they can to welcome Sensi to the club in January as it would no doubt allow Hayden to get his wish granted as there would no longer be a hurdle to his exit.
