Yoshinori Muto in ‘advanced talks’ with new club – Report
Fair to say that Yoshinori Muto has not exactly been a massive success at Newcastle United.
Signed by Newcastle back in 2018 with United needing to add goals but Mike Ashley actually insisting on a profit in the summer 2018 window, Rafa Benitez took a punt on Yoshinori Muto for £9.5m.
The Bundesliga record for Yoshinori Muto with Mainz was: 4,422 minutes on the pitch, 48 starts and 18 sub appearances, 20 goals at an average of 221 minutes per goal.
Not a bad return for somebody not generally playing as the main striker, a goal on average around about once every two and a half games worth of playing time.
However, Yoshinori Muto has failed completely to adapt to the Premier League and three years later has managed only one Premier League game, playing only 723 minutes with seven PL starts and 18 substitute appearances.
Last season was spent on loan at Eibar, the Spanish minnows ended up bottom of La Liga and the Newcastle loan player only managed one league goal in 26 games, 13 as a starter and 13 as a sub.
Having turned 29 earlier this month and with only one year left on his Newcastle contract, quite clearly Yoshinori Muto needs to move on, whilst NUFC desperately need to clear him and other players not up to the job off the wage bill.
Not sighted at all in the squad on Friday night at Doncaster, Steve Bruce after the game said the Japanese striker was missing with a slight illness but admitted a ‘solution’ (new club) needed to be found for the player.
Now on Monday morning there appears to be news of why Yoshinori Muto was really absent on Friday night, with sportime.gr reporting an exclusive, saying the Newcastle striker is in ‘advanced talks’ with Aris FC.
The club is based in Thessaloniki and last season they finished second in the regular season behind Olympiakos, where the 14 clubs play each home and away.
This is then followed by the top six breaking away and playing each other home and away again, to produce the final league placings. Aris FC finished third in those play-offs behind Olympiakos and PAOK, meaning they will play in the second qualifying round of this new daft UEFA third competition, the Europa Conference League.
Obviously not a great deal of money in Greek football and you would imagine that for a deal to be done, Yoshinori Muto will have to compromise on wages, whilst Newcastle United will have to be VERY realistic when it comes to a transfer fee, if indeed there will be one.
Fingers crossed that a deal can be done and as well as other unwanted NUFC players, Yoshinori Muto can find a new home.
With Mike Ashley refusing to make any kind of proper budget available, the only realistic chance apparently of any credible signings, would appear to be if a lot of players can be taken off the wage bill and at least some money generated in terms of transfer fees.
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