Eddie Howe has given an update on Newcastle trio, Ryan Fraser, Isaac Hayden, and Jeff Hendrick.
Ryan Fraser, Jeff Hendrick, and Isaac Hayden all remain under contract at Newcastle, but none of them are in Eddie Howe’s plans.
Howe has confirmed that the club are seeking to move all three players on this summer. However, it may not be a straightforward process for the Tyneside outfit to offload the unwanted stars. As quoted by Chronicle Live, Howe said, “with those players, in particular, it is very difficult for us as a football club because in an ideal world for their careers we’d want them to go…there’s all sorts of difficulties associated with it, contract length, the amount of money they are earning and it is finding a football club that they want to go to…I have no issue with any of them and I wish them well, but let’s see what happens.”
There is certainly no future for any of them at St James’ Park. The Magpies are a Champions League club once more. Hayden and Hendrick simply can’t compete with the likes of Bruno Guimaraes and Sandro Tonali for minutes in the middle of park. Meanwhile, Fraser’s “commitment” has been questioned before by Howe, when the Scottish winger was demoted to training with the Newcastle under-21 squad.
Fraser made 8 Premier League appearances last season, with none coming later in the campaign than October. Hayden and Hendrick spent the campaign on loan with Championship sides Norwich and Reading, respectively.
Newcastle need to find a way to get rid
Of the three, Hayden will leave the greatest legacy at St James’ Park. Since joining the club from Arsenal in 2016, the 28-year-old has racked up nearly 200 appearances for the Magpies, and played a key role in helping them back to the Premier League in 2017.
As for Hendrick and Fraser, Newcastle will take solace from the fact they both arrived on free transfers. However, that can also cause a problem, as players joining as free agents often receive inflated wages. Howe has already said the players’ contracts are proving an obstacle to facilitating permanent departures.
This could become a big problem for Newcastle. Howe, who earns £63,000-per-week himself, will know how pressing this issue is. They need these players’ wages off the books in order to clear the way for more incoming signings and comply with FFP regulations.
As Newcastle continue to progress on the way to their ultimate goal as a club, they need to find a means of shifting the lingering deadwood.
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