Should Newcastle United Sell This 30-year Old At The End Of The Season?

Having been at Newcastle since January 2013, Yoan Gouffran is one of the few players Newcastle have left that represent the old guard that saw Newcastle relegated from the Premier League. And his spell at Newcastle has regularly seen him criticized by Newcastle fans who expected more from the pacey and tricky wide player.

Such was the drop in his performances, that last season saw him make only 8 Premier League appearances, with many of them coming in an unfamiliar central midfield position.

And it looked increasingly unlikely that during the summer of 2016, with Rafa Benitez overhauling his squad that Newcastle United would be parting ways with the Frenchman. Moves back to Ligue 1 were mooted, and Newcastle signed Bournemouth winger Matt Ritchie and Christian Atsu on loan from Chelsea.

But in probably the most surprising story of success on Tyneside this season, Gouffran not only stayed to fight for his position, he has become an important player as Benitez bids to return to the Premier League.

The Frenchman has played 14 games so far this season, with the Magpies winning 13 and drawing 1. Which points to him not just being a lucky charm for Newcastle as it seems Benitez really values his input on the left-hand side of midfield. The Frenchman isn’t a natural left winger, but Benitez feels that he gives them balance and offers endeavour and hard work that nobody else in the squad does.

And on Saturday, the 30-year-old midfielder further enhanced his reputation in Newcastle as he cut in from the left-hand side and fired a low shot past the Cardiff goalkeeper into the far corner of the net, winning the game for Newcastle.

And herein lies the problem. Gouffran’s contract runs out in June 2017, so Newcastle risk losing him for free, and there is no sign of them coming to a deal.

So do Newcastle sell him now whilst his stock is high and recoup a small fee for him? Or do they run the risk of losing him in the summer?

Clubs like Lille are rumoured to be interesting in signing him in January, so there are no shortage of suitors. However, a return to the Premier League is worth 100s of million pounds to the Geordies.

Being realistic, Newcastle are only likely to receive a fee of around £500,000 for the Frenchman, and that is unlikely to be a fee that Rafa Benitez will want to risk destabilizing his promotion bid for.

Plus there is the chance that he may sign a new contract – if Benitez does want him to play for Newcastle next season.

The most sensible approach here looks to be for both parties to continue together in their bid to win promotion, and leave the decision on their futures for the summer.