Which Newcastle player would you offload?

It’s that time of year again. The January transfer window is nearly here and everyone is excited to talk about what big names could be headed for Tyneside (other than John Windass apparently).

One thing no one is discussing though is possibility of selling players, which can be just as important to a team’s success. Knowing the right time to part with certain fixtures in the team can make the difference in a team’s long term success.

Very few people seemed to be on board with selling Dwight Gayle, so I’m going to steer clear of that one. There are a few other players that Newcastle should consider moving on from.

My first thought in writing this article was to say Paul Dummett should be sold. The 25-year old left back has been a starter for Benitez this year in the Championship, but that doesn’t mean he is safe. He played decently well in the Premier League last year, and that form has followed him down a division. Left back is also a position of some depth right now for the Toon Army, with Massadio Haidara and newly returned Achraf Lazaar sitting behind Dummett and Vurnon Anita mixing in as well.

However, Dummett is still young and with the potential to improve a little if he earns some more caps for Wales. He has two so far with the possibility of a few more on the horizon. He also displays good technique for the position that Lazaar and Haidara have not fully developed yet, even if he does some of their athletic ability.

So once I put all of that together, I started thinking that maybe the best move for Newcastle to make would be to sell Haidara for a spell.

Haidara has become the forgotten man in Rafa’s plans. He has made a handful of appearances in the U-23 team after coming off a serious knee injury, but has yet to feature in the first team this year. With Lazaar seeming to be more likely to play with two appearances already as a sub since returning form injury last month.

Lazaar is also playing international football for Morocco with 16 caps to his name already whereas Haidara still has yet to break into the French senior team. The potential for Lazaar to develop into a start down the seems more likely than that of Haidara at this point. If Haidara is healthy, but going to continue to ride the bench, then it might be time to look into moving him elsewhere.

That’s my take on one player I wouldn’t mind selling in the January transfer window. Is there anyone that you think Newcastle needs to move on from next month? Let us know in the comments section below.