OPINION
Newcastle United have an issue with Rolando Aarons.
The talented young winger failed to impress Rafa Benitez over the summer after returning from an unsuccessful spell at Hellas Verona, with the club subsequently receiving no suitable loan offers for his services.
A temporary exit to a lower league EFL club would have been perfect for the 22-year-old as he looks to bounce back from a tough year, but such a move did not materialise.
The vast majority of European transfer windows are now shut, but a last-gasp loan offer looks to be on its way from an unnamed club in Bulgaria.
However, as reported by Chronicle reporter Chris Waugh (14:27), time is running out for such a move to take place, with it now looking unlikely that Aarons will leave the club before January.
And surprisingly to many, this latest twist in Aarons’ summer may not necessarily be a bad thing.
Aarons has shown little evidence that he would benefit much from a loan in the far reaches of Europe, with last season’s temporary spell in the more hospitable climes of Italy bearing little fruit.
The youngster would have to adapt to an alien country and culture, and the standard of football that he would be playing would not exactly be brilliant.
While he will essentially be left in limbo if he remains in Newcastle, that is potentially a better option for the dazzling winger until January.
Aarons needs to ground himself once again, and get back to the basics of training and playing. A several month spell in Bulgaria would not be conducive to that happening, and him missing out on a loan may be for the best.
Instead, staying on Tyneside and knuckling down to work with the academy squad would potentially be a far better option for Aarons at this stage in his career, with him badly needing some consistency in his career.
All in all, a move to Bulgaria does not look like a good one for Aarons, and him missing out on this will be a blessing in disguise for both him and the club.