OPINION
Newcastle United manager Rafael Benitez might be working with a paper thin squad at St James’ Park this season but that does not excuse him to keep deadwood from bloating the first team squad.
The Spanish boss did manage to get rid of some outcasts prior to the English transfer window slamming shut, with the likes of Aleksandar Mitrovic and Jack Colback heading out to Fulham and Nottingham Forest respectively, but there are still a couple of players acting as a drain on the wage books on Tyneside.
Fortunately for Benitez, one of those outcasts seems destined for an immediate exit, and he must be followed out by another pair of players who are clearly surplus to requirement.
Turkish publication Olay claim on their website that midfielder Henri Saivet is on the verge of securing a move to Bursaspor after the Super Lig side missed out on two of their other top targets, and that the Newcastle man was invited out to watch the clash against Fenerbahce before sealing a deal.
With the central midfielder set to be cleared off the wages, the same must happen to Achraf Lazaar and Rolando Aarons, with the pair of speedy flyers simply not good enough to play any part this season.
Lazaar’s time at the club has been a disaster and the sooner it comes to an end the better for both parties, while Aarons simply has not lived up to expectation and he could also do with a move away to reignite his stagnating career.
Benitez would only call on either of them in an absolute emergency – which was how Saivet was given a chance in the senior side last season – and while a possibility, it seems unlikely they would ever find their way into the first team.
An exit is the only right move for either of them, and with foreign sides having until the end of the month, Benitez should be on the phone fielding offers for them as often as he can.