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Opinion

Player insists Newcastle United move was still right choice – Would hate to see his idea of a wrong one

4 years ago
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The Italian media published ‘quotes’ from Achraf Lazaar on Monday.

In the ‘quotes’ (see below), Achraf Lazaar said: ‘In retrospect, Newcastle was unfortunately not the right choice …’

Now the player has claimed that this isn’t the case.

Lazaar seemingly saying/claiming he has been misquoted, or the quotes totally made up.

The player also still insisting that he believes signing for Newcastle United was the right option: ‘it’s bullh.t that I made the wrong choice.

Well if Achraf Lazaar still thinks the move to Tyneside has still proved to be the right choice…I would hate to see his idea of a wrong one!

When he signed for Newcastle on 27 August 2016, Achraf Lazaar was 24 years old.

He had been first choice for Palermo in Serie A for the past two seasons and was playing for his country. Lazaar having played in 59 Serie A games out of a possible 76 in 2014/15 and 2015/16, including 53 starts.

Achraf Lazaar is now 28, he still hasn’t started a single league match for Newcastle United in his entire time at the club.

Indeed, even with three loan spells since signing for NUFC, the defender has only made 13 league appearances in total, in the four years since last playing for Palermo.

He has gone from being a regular first choice in Serie A with Palermo, to on loan and only four league starts this season for Cosenza in Serie B.

As for internationally, Achraf Lazaar played for Morocco in a 0-0 draw against Albania (31 August 2016), four days after signing for NUFC. Then making only one appearance for his country after that, a 0-0 draw against Gabon on 8 October 2016.

There are right choices and then there are right choices!

Achraf Lazaar speaking to The Chronicle:

“I have seen suggestions of Newcastle being a bad choice.

“I don’t know where it came from.

“It’s fake news.

“People are always talking about me and suggesting I’m saying bad things about Newcastle.

“But I’ve never said that.

“I love Newcastle and if I chose Newcastle over Fiorentina in 2016, then that says it all for me.

“Newcastle still means something to me.

“People can talk or make me look bad.

“People who know me will tell you it’s bullh.t that I made the wrong choice.”

Achraf Lazaar talking to Italian journalist Nicolo Schira, as reported by tuttob.com – 23 March 2020:

“That summer (2016), Fiorentina wanted me but my childhood dream was to play in England.

“There was Mr Benítez who came from Real Madrid.

“He wanted me strongly and his pressing convinced me.

“There were great ambitions: there was talk of building a team to win the Premier League in a few years.

“Too bad he played me very little.

“In retrospect, Newcastle was unfortunately not the right choice … “

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