Why Newcastle United should hold on to Achraf Lazaar

According to Tuttomercatoweb.com (h/t Shields Gazette), on-loan Newcastle United left-back Achraf Lazaar hopes to play in the Serie A this coming season.

The Moroccan full-back is currently on a season-long loan at Serie B side Cosenza. Lazaar, meanwhile, is eager to stay back in Italy, where he grew up and played in the top division due to a lack of chances at his parent club.

However, there is a slight problem as he still has one more year left in his Magpies contract. The 28-year-old had hoped to make it to Steve Bruce’s first-team line-up earlier this summer, having played under him at Sheffield Wednesday the season before. All those plans went down the drain after the Magpies roped in Dutchman Jetro Willems for a loan from German side Eintracht Frankfurt.

Also, with Welshman Paul Dummett already in the side, Lazaar seemed surplus to their requirements that saw him earn a move to Italy in order to gain more game time. Meanwhile, things have not gone according to plan for Lazaar as he has managed just 8 appearances so far for the Serie B side after sustaining thigh muscle strain midway through the campaign.

The full-back has spent more time on the sidelines than on the pitch this season. Lazaar had earlier moved to Newcastle in the summer of 2016 following his standout displays at the back for Palermo.

However, ever since his arrival at St. James Park, Lazaar has found it difficult to break into the first-team line-up, making just 10 appearances across all competitions to date. Now with Lazaar eager to try his luck somewhere else, Newcastle find themselves in a rather difficult spot.

The Magpies currently lack depth in that department as both their left-backs – Willems and Dummett are currently out due to injuries. This had led to Newcastle opting to land Tottenham defender Danny Rose in January.

However, with Willems and Rose’s loan deals set to expire at the end of the season, Bruce’s side will be left with just Dummett and Lazaar for the left-back role.

Hence, letting Lazaar go at this juncture seems like a really foolish option. The Magpies should rather keep him close until they find a better solution to solve their left-back conundrum.

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Verdict

With uncertainty looming large around the left-back role at present, it would be unwise of Newcastle to offload Lazaar. Moreover, having spent most of his time outside the pitch, the Moroccan would be raring to get some game time and prove a point. This could, in turn, be useful for Newcastle, who need to improve their performance next season.