OPINION
With the transfer and loan window now officially shut, Premier League sides have had to submit their squads for the first half of the season – and it makes damning reading for one man at Newcastle United.
The Magpies, who brought a host of new faces in on both permanent and temporary deals over the summer, revealed their list of names, both in the senior squad and those eligible as under-21 talents, on the Premier League’s official website.
There were some surprises among them, not least Achraf Lazaar’s inclusion, the Moroccan a forgotten man on Tyneside, as well as Florian Lejeune, who is out of action with a long-term injury blow which looked to leave him on the sidelines for most of the season.
However, there is one quite notable absence in the shape of winger Rolando Aarons, and the fact the 22-year-old has no place in either squad puts the writing squarely on the wall.
Quite frankly, it appears as though his career at St James’ Park is as good as dead and the fact he was no shipped out in summer will have many scratching their heads.
If he has no part to play on Tyneside, then what good is keeping him on the books, especially with his £14,000-a-week wages (source: Spotrac)?
He is simply wasting the club money and with no chance of playing senior football until the FA Cup comes around in January, it is a dire situation for all involved.
He and the club are better off severing their ties and tearing up his contract, leaving him as a free agent to make a move elsewhere out of the window and the Magpies to save their pennies – as Rafael Benitez has to with Mike Ashley in charge.