Newcastle United journalist Liam Kennedy has been sharing his thoughts on the possibility of Toon midfielder Isaac Hayden potentially leaving the club this summer.
This comes after Kennedy made an appearance on a recent edition of NUFC Matters on Steve Wraith’s YouTube channel where he spoke about a variety of topics concerning Steve Bruce’s side.
On the subject of Hayden, who has been linked with a move away from St. James’ Park this summer, Kennedy had this to say about the player and his situation at the club.
He said: “I asked the question behind the scenes, numerous sources at the club, and one thing that was never said to me – because I suggested does that mean he’s part of the plans next season, and nobody would go that far, to say he was definitely part of the plans, which intrigued me at the time, because I didn’t see him leaving.
“I don’t see him leaving, not in this climate, anyway, but there will be people interested in someone like Isaac Hayden and look, if you could get £10 million-plus for an Isaac Hayden, I’d probably take it, personally.
“I like him, I think he’s a good player, but I do think he’s limited. I don’t think he is a player of massive ability, and I don’t think losing somebody like that, he couldn’t be replaced.
“I like his attitude, I like his versatility, I like his tackling. He’s a strong character, got a lot of good things about him, Isaac Hayden, but would he be one that was 100% starter in any team that I picked? No, he wouldn’t be.”
TIF Thoughts on Liam Kennedy’s comments on Hayden and his place at Newcastle…
Since joining the Tyneside club in 2016 from fellow Premier League side Arsenal for a fee of £2.61 million, Hayden has made a total of 159 appearances for the club across all competitions, prior to their Carabao Cup match against Burnley, in which he has managed to score six goals and provide 10 assists along the way (per Transfermarkt).
Given how only five outfield players earned a higher overall season rating than Hayden in the Premier League last season according to WhoScored, it’s safe to say he is a rather important player for the Toon who would presumably be reluctant to let him leave this summer, especially considering his current contract isn’t set to expire until 2026.
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Also, given how it has been reported that the club will allow Matty Longstaff to leave on loan this summer, it seems unlikely, in our view, that the club would be willing to let Hayden go as well, potentially leaving them with fewer midfield options in their squad.
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