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da dobrowin： The news that Newcastle fans feared most was confirmed recently as the club failed to reach an agreement with Rafa Benitez over a contract extension, meaning that he’ll leave the Magpies on the 30th of June when his current deal expires.
With limited financial resources, Benitez worked heroically to return the club to England’s top-flight and prolong Newcastle’s status as a Premier League side. In doing so, he unified a fanbase that has become increasingly disillusioned with Mike Ashley’s ownership.
Accordingly, Newcastle supporters’ disappointment at seeing the 59-year-old depart the club is unsurprising, but his departure could denote an opportunity for others to impress.
With that said, here are players who could benefit from the Spaniard’s departure.
Jonjo Shelvey
The 27-year-old was restricted to a mere 16 Premier League appearances for Newcastle last season, only ten of which were starts, further evidence of his limited involvement.
While the Englishman has played under Benitez more often than any other manager – 104 times – he has the highest total of minutes per goal (955 minutes) than any other manager in his professional career.
Furthermore, the English midfielder has only registered 24 goal contributions (eight goals, 16 assists) under Benitez, whereas, at Swansea, he achieved 19 goals contributions (six goals, 13 assists) under Garry Monk’s stewardship in 43 fewer games.
Shelvey’s passing ability, mainly his impressive range, has been a longstanding strength of his. And, under the guidance of a manager who is prepared to release the manacles that have often been placed on the Newcastle playmaker in recent years, his creative talents could come to the fore once more.
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Ki Sung-Yeung
The South Korean’s move to Newcastle has failed to progress as initially hoped. Signed on a free transfer from Swansea City, where he proved to be a very dependable player, the 30-year-old struggled to exert a similar influence under Benitez’s guidance.
The midfielder only featured on 18 occasions in the Premier League last season, 14 of which were starts, and a man of his experience in England’s top-flight and on the international stage would have expected to play more frequently.
During his time with the Swans – where Ki attained 162 appearances – he proved to be a reliable player and one whose skill set was aligned with the ‘Swansea way’ of playing, where emphasis on ball retention and fluid passing sequences were foremost.
Given his limited resources, particularly financial resources, Benitez’ style of play was far more pragmatic and stringent at Newcastle. Conceivably, this pragmatism favoured high-energy midfield enforcers such as Isaac Hayden and Sean Longstaff over ball-playing technicians like Ki and Shelvey.
Under new management, particularly someone willing to play with greater creativity and risk in possession, Ki could thrive.
Miguel Almiron
Such was the extent of Benitez’s pragmatism last season, Newcastle played most of their Premier League games (22 out of 38) deploying a 5-4-1 formation.
Given Newcastle’s then long-standing transfer record and the lack of attacking ambition under Benitez, it was somewhat surprising to see Newcastle pay £20m for a player of Almiron’s flair and creativity.
Despite having his season shortened by injury, the 25-year-old impressed during his ten league outings for the Magpies, particularly on his full debut against Huddersfield.
While the 25-year-old has impressed since moving to the club, many of his games have been played as a left-midfielder – where he has failed to register a single goal contribution.
For much of his club career, however, Almiron has been deployed as an attacking midfielder.
He has made 38 goal contributions (20 goals, 18 assists) in 53 games as an attacking midfielder, by contrast, he has only achieved three goal contributions (one goal, two assists) in 26 games on the left.
There’s no disputing that Almiron has done well since moving to Newcastle, but his qualities are better employed when playing as an attacking midfielder.
A manager willing to play the 25-year-old in his favoured position will likely maximise his output.