According to TEAMtalk, Matt Ritchie wants to leave Newcastle United.
From his celebrations on Tuesday night, he didn’t look like a player who wants to leave.
However, Ritchie remained at St James’ Park, much to the delight of supporters.
So talk of him wanting to leave is a bit hard to believe.
Why would Ritchie want to leave?
For starters, if you wanted to leave, you wouldn’t wait until deadline day. To Isaac Hayden’s credit, at least he hasn’t misled anyone. He’s made it clear he wants to leave for family reasons, although that looks unlikely now.
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So if you’re Ritchie and also want to move south like the report states, you’d try a little sooner to engineer a move.
The former Bournemouth man has been a key player for Rafa Benitez ever since he arrived. He was sensational in the Championship, and maintained his form last season in the top flight.
While this season has been a little more difficult, his passion has remained. That was clear for all to see when he smashed the corner flag after putting us 2-1 up against Manchester City.
The 29-year-old has been a guaranteed starter since he moved to the club.
Even with a change of system, Benitez has found a role for his number 11, with Ritchie operating in a defensive capacity nowadays.
With the clock ticking towards the deadline, I don’t think there’s any worry of Matt Ritchie leaving the club.