Bas Dost has joined a list of players who are set to terminate their contract with Sporting CP as the off-field relationship between the owner and players have spiralled downwards. Ever since their exit from Europa League from the hands of Atletico Madrid, the atmosphere in and around the Portuguese outfit has been boiling. Bruno de Carvalho went on to suspend 19 players after losing the quarterfinals 2-1 on aggregate, while angry fans attacked players and staff during a training session in May. All these have now cumulated together and one by one their star players are leaving the club.
Portugal’s goalkeeper Rui Patricio was the first one to terminate his contract along with the head coach Jorge Jesus and now the likes of Dost, William Carvalho, Gelson Martins and Bruno Fernandes have filed notice with the Portuguese Securities Market Commission that they intended to terminate their contracts, invoking “just cause” after being attacked in their workplace. Dost was the one who was seriously injured in the attack from the fans had to receive several stitches to his head.
Dost has been on the radar of Newcastle United for quite some time and now they can have their man for free.
It is clear that Newcastle United are in need of striking options as they struggled to score goals freely. Rafael Benitez has made a striker his top priority and now could be the best time for the Magpies to move in for Dutch international Bas Dost.
The 29 year was prolific in the season just gone by as he managed 34 goals and seven assists in all competitions and was a regular for the Portuguese outfit up front. He has his contract up until 2020 but it is likely now that he will become a free agent and that could mean quite a few clubs could be after him as his goalscoring record has been exemplary in the last few years.
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Rafael Benitez team managed to finish in the top half of the table and that was certainly a huge achievement for them. However, he has been let down by the likes of Joselu and Dwight Gayle in the final third as both of them managed just 10 goals between them. Dost could be the striker who can bring in 15-20 goals in a season but it remains to be seen whether he will flourish in the untested waters of the Premier League.
