Newcastle United have endured an uneventful start to the campaign under new manager Steve Bruce. The Magpies are dawdling around the relegation places and require a massive overhaul. Midfield, in particular, has emerged as one of their key weaknesses and it won’t be surprising to see the club offloading a few players in the upcoming January transfer window.
One of those players could be Ki Sung-Yong, and in this article, we will take a more in-depth look into the midfield’s current situation at the club.
Ki’s struggles at Newcastle
Ki was regarded as one of the most composed midfielders playing in England during his time at Swansea. But, that was before he moved to Newcastle in the summer of 2018 for a free transfer. It seemed like an exciting prospect at first as Rafael Benitez showed intent on the market in an attempt to increase his midfield options.
But, Ki was given very little recognition by the Spaniard. He featured in only 18 Premier League matches during his debut season at St. James’ Park, only 14 of which were starts. His development was further derailed by an Achilles problem while he also had to serve international duty in January.
Either way, the appointment of Bruce in the off-season gave Ki hope. But, the situation, it seems, has turned from bad to worse for the South Korean international, who has often been overlooked by the former Hull City manager. In fact, the midfielder has only been involved in three Premier League matches so far, mustering a total of 136 minutes.
Why Newcastle should get rid of Ki?
First and foremost, Ki’s style of play is not ideal to Newcastle’s lucid gameplan under Bruce. The South Korean is a technically gifted midfielder, who can distribute possession and usually likes to build the play up slowly and steadily. And although he is known for his tenacity, he is not nearly as mobile and dynamic as players like Isaac Hayden and Jonjo Shelvey.
As a result, Bruce has often frozen him out of the starting eleven this season. Tactically, Ki’s transfer away from Newcastle makes sense. It is also the right thing to do if we look at it from a pure sporting perspective.
The ex-Sunderland star is already 30 years old and provides little to no prospect for the future. His departure from St. James’ Park, instead, would allow the Magpies to make space for potential new signings, with Bruce looking intent on undergoing a midfield overhaul in the upcoming January transfer window.
