Why Newcastle will do a good job by offloading Jack Colback in January

According to a report from the Nottingham Post, Newcastle United are ready to let go midfielder Jack Colback on the cheap in January 2020.

Jack Colback, 29, joined Newcastle United as a free agent from rivals Sunderland in 2014. But he has not played for the Magpies since May 2017 and spent the last 18 months on loan at Nottingham Forest.

Forest were keen to sign the midfielder permanently, but at the time it appeared Colback would be given a Premier League lifeline by new Newcastle manager Steve Bruce.

However, Bruce axed the 29-year-old from Newcastle’s 25-man Premier League squad and while Colback could, in theory, win his squad place back in January, he is likely to have played his last game for the Magpies.

With less than a year remaining on his current contract, Newcastle must cash in on Colback rather lose him on a free transfer next summer.

One dubbed a promising talent, Colback’s move from Sunderland created a lot of controversy amongst both sets of fans. But he soon became an integral part of the Newcastle side, becoming a regular during his first three seasons at the club.

The midfielder made 93 league appearances during that time as he helped the team back into the Premier League in 2016/17 after they had been relegated the previous season.

Following the emergence of Jonjo Shelvey and Isaac Hayden in the middle of the park, Colback eventually slipped down the pecking order and has failed to appear for the first-team over the past two years.

His form tailed off drastically before he fell out with Rafael Benitez that apparently was the end of his Newcastle career.

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Interestingly, Bruce’s appointment opened a door for him at St. James’ Park and despite being heavily involved in the pre-season, the 29-year-old currently finds himself behind the likes of Sean Longstaff, Isaac Hayden, Jonjo Shelvey and Ki Sung-yueng.

Verdict

Thus, it makes little sense for Newcastle to keep a player who is on heavy wages and no way near the first-team picture. By offloading Colback in January, Bruce would bring some stability to the club’s wage structure.