Why Newcastle United should cash in on Emil Krafth amid interest
According to the Daily Mail, Newcastle United right-back Emil Krafth is stalling on a £2.7million move to Istanbul Basaksehir after a rare league start against Arsenal.
The 26-year-old looked set to complete his move to Turkey in the January transfer window after falling out of favour under Steve Bruce at Tyneside. However, the Swedish international is now having second thoughts about leaving Newcastle after being thrust into the starting XI in the recent 3-0 defeat against Mikel Arteta’s side. (h/t Daily Mail)
Krafth’s career at Newcastle so far
After impressing for Bologna in the Italian Serie A and Amiens in France, Emil Krafth joined Newcastle from the latter in the summer of 2019. He was roped in to provide competition for the underperforming right-backs Javier Manquillo and DeAndre Yedlin.
However, Krafth’s spell at Tyneside clearly hasn’t gone according to the script. The Swede started only 11 times in the Premier League last season, coming under scrutiny for a number of lacklustre displays. Manquillo (18) and Yedlin (10) both started more league fixtures as compared to the 26-year-old in the previous campaign.
Krafth has once again found himself restricted to a bit-part role at Tyneside this season. His recent start against Arsenal was only his fourth of the campaign so far. Truth be told, the former Amiens star hardly impressed in a 3-0 loss for his side, doing very little to stake a claim for a regular starting role in the coming weeks.
Bruce has continued to prefer both Yedlin and Manquillo ahead of him at right-back this term. Jacob Murphy, essentially a winger by trade, has started more games in that role despite the presence of a specialist option like Krafth. That pretty much sums up his struggles at Newcastle.
Time for a goodbye?
Suffice to say, Emil Krafth has failed to make a big impression in the Premier League and it would make perfect sense for Newcastle to cut their losses on the flop this month. It’s not that the likes of Yedlin and Manquillo have offered a great deal of stability on the right but it’s clear that Krafth doesn’t represent an upgrade on either player.
The fact of the matter is that Newcastle desperately need more quality in the right-back department. But they would need to move on at least one of their underperforming stars to make room for a new arrival. Parting ways with Krafth, to that end, would allow Bruce to reinvest the funds required to bring in an upgrade.
Read More
- Why Newcastle should revisit their interest in Napoli star Arkadiusz Milik
- Why Newcastle reigniting interest in Mason Holgate would be ideal
Verdict
Newcastle need to clear the deadwood in their squad if they are to set the stage for some quality signings next summer. Emil Krafth has clearly failed to live up to the expectations at Tyneside and needs a move elsewhere to get his career back on track. Hence, Newcastle should not hesitate to orchestrate a deal for the player to leave the club this month.
