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0.9 shots per game – Newcastle must do the right thing and offload this underwhelming 26-year-old

Newcastle United should definitely offload Christian Atsu

Newcastle United succumbed to another 2-1 loss to Wolverhampton Wanderers in the Premier League over the weekend. This is the first time in the club’s history that the Magpies have a lost a game to the Wolves, leaving Rafa Benitez fuming after the game.

It has been a frustrating campaign for the Magpies, who have failed to maintain any sort of consistency in their displays. Newcastle are now on a three-game winless run that has seen them drop to 15th on the table and are just 3 points shy of the relegation zone.

Frankly, Benitez has done a good job with the current crop of players at the club. Newcastle did bring in a couple of new signings in the summer but not all have made a significant impact.

The Tyneside club have also managed to score just 13 goals across their 16 league games this season. Those are poor numbers and will eventually come unstuck for the club at some point. Striker Salomon Rondon has looked better over the last few weeks but Christian Atsu has been utterly underwhelming this season.

The Ghana international has made just 3 starts and 7 substitute appearances for Newcastle United but has failed to register a single goal or assist in that time. He has also averaged just 0.9 shots per game and lacks the clinical touch in the final third.

The 26-year-old has been deployed through the centre and on both flanks by Rafa Benitez but he is yet to provide anything meaningful. Atsu is often easily dealt with by the opposition defenders.

The winger does possess pace and trickery on the ball but seems to keep possession a little longer than needed which ultimately results in him losing the ball. He has been dispossessed on an average of 1.1 times per game this season while also making bad touches 1.2 times. (Stats courtesy – Whoscored)

This was clear in the loss against Wolverhampton Wanderers as Matt Doherty enjoyed a superb outing against the Ghana international. He was also left to roam about so high that the wing-back ended up netting the winning goal on the night.

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The fact that Atsu has just 2 goals and 3 assists in 43 league appearances for the Magpies speaks volumes about his performances. Rafa Benitez should definitely offload the Ghana international in January and bring in some much-needed funds to engineer another transfer for the team. (Stats courtesy – Premier League)