OPINION
The end of every campaign gives clubs the opportunity to get rid of some of their so-called deadwood, and Newcastle have their fair share of those.
Rafael Benitez’ retained list mostly consisted of youngsters being released, with the standout senior name being Mo Diame, who was continuously linked with a move to Qatar in his final year at the club.
With that list released, along came the final year of a number of deals within the current squad, including 30-year-old Ki Sung-Yueng. This has to be the final year at the club for the South Korean international, with a fresh outlook needing to be introduced to the Magpies’ midfield.
The central midfield only made 19 appearances last season and struggled to make any impact on Benitez’ side, with youngsters such as Sean Longstaff being preferred.
Ki never managed to cement his place in the starting line-up, with his passing ability being bettered by other options such as Jonjo Shelvey. Shelvey managed to make 1.6 key passes per game on average compared to Ki, who could only manage an average of 0.9 – the same as the more defensive minded Isaac Hayden. [WhoScored]
Benitez switched to a back five formation midway through the previous Premier League season, which saw his side’s possession improve, with the likes of Shelvey dominating the ball when sitting in front of the defence.
The £40,000 per-week [Spotrac] midfielder might not have managed to dictate possession, but he also struggled defensively to make an impact in his 18 league games. Ki only managed to make on average 0.8 tackles per-game – with Hayden (2.9), Diame (2.7) and Sean Longstaff (1.9) all managing to offer more of a defensive presence than the 30-year-old. [WhoScored]
This only proves that Ki is at the back of the pecking order in Newcastle, and without a standout campaign in the last year of his deal, he will more than likely find himself looking for a new club.
