Some strange and unexpected news today about Achraf Lazaar, the left-sided player who was on loan to Benevento for the season.
It turns out the Serie A club, who are bottom the league with 10 points from 25 games signed full-back Bacary Sagna as a free agent and they needed to make room for him in their squad.
So the 26-year-old Moroccan International has been replaced in the Benevento squad, and will not be able to play for the Italian club again this season.
The reports out of Italy suggest the Benevento coach Roberto De Zerbi does not rate Lazaar and left him out of the squad.
Achraf Lazaar – frozen out at Benevento
Lazaar played fairly regularly until last November when he has been left out of the squad with De Zerbi questioning his fitness.
Lazaar has played only 9 games with one goal for Benevento this season.
After Rafa signed him from Palermo 18 months ago Achraf really couldn’t make the first team and he played only 10 times for the Newcastle first team.
There was an option to buy Achraf in the summer for £3M but that will obviously not be taken up now by the Serie A club.
The best Newcastle can do is to loan him out for next season, which will be the third year of his five year contract at Newcastle.
Achraf Lazaar did not turn out to be a good signing by Rafa Benitez.
Rafa and Lee Charnley will need to send a number of players out on loan again this summer.
But some – like Jesus Gamez and Sadio Haidara – have contracts which run out in June and they will leave Newcastle permanently.
Comments welcome.
6 comments so far
Bianconeri
Feb 21, 2018 at 2:47 PM
Comment #1Predictions for relegation.
https://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/newcastle-united-survive-nufc-writer-14310442
scroll down to relegation battle and predict scores to see if we escape the drop.39 points I predicted and safe,fingers crossed.
Essex Geordie Bill
Feb 21, 2018 at 3:08 PM
Comment #2Bus is on the move, got my bus pass ready! 🙂
RobLeenio
Feb 21, 2018 at 3:46 PM
Comment #3EGB – looks like it stalled!
🙂
Munster Mag
Feb 21, 2018 at 3:56 PM
Comment #4So can anyone tell me wtf rafa saw in lazaar? Not the only crap signing but certainly a poor one. I thought rafa had a huuuuuge database of players and contacts. So how do we end up with this dude?? Could he not have sourced better even at the price? Jail, steady…. I know, djemba djemba..
Oldgit1
Feb 21, 2018 at 4:56 PM
Comment #5@munster mag Are you sure it wasn’t one of Carrs signings ? Have my doubts re Rafas involvement in this transfer.
dannitoon
Feb 21, 2018 at 6:44 PM
Comment #6FFS even Kk and SBR made some poor signings.. tbh.. we didnt see too much of this fella to actually judge.. rafa obviously has via training etc etc .. i can remember him smashing the cross bar against hull in 1/4s so i bet opinion would be different if it hadve went in..