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Yoshinori Muto has gone – Newcastle United Official Announcement

3 years ago
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Yoshinori Muto has now left NUFC.

On Tuesday afternoon, a Newcastle United Official Announcement confirming the news.

The departure by ‘mutual consent’, with still 11 months left on his contract.

Newcastle United Official Announcement:

‘Japan international forward Yoshinori Muto has left Newcastle United by mutual consent.

The club and player have come to an agreement on the final year of his contract, with the 29-year-old making ten starts in all competitions following his 2018 move from Mainz 05.

He has made a further 18 appearances from the bench and has scored twice – the first on his first start, away at Manchester United, and the other against Leicester City in the Carabao Cup.

Muto spent last season on loan with Eibar in Spain’s La Liga. Everybody at Newcastle United thanks him for his efforts at St. James’ Park and wishes him well for the future.’

Guessing that like similar departures (Achraf Lazaar etc), this mutually agreed departure will then allow a quick follow on announcement with his arrival at another club announced. The reality always was – Newcastle United could never have got another club to take on the existing entire Yoshinori Muto wages at NUFC AND also pay a transfer fee.

Media in Japan were reporting at the weekend that Yoshinori Muto was leaving Newcastle United and signing for a new club.

The reports saying that a permanent transfer to Vissel Kobe had been agreed by the player and the two clubs.

Yoshinori Muto heading back to play his club football in Japan for an ‘undisclosed fee’ according to Japanese media.

Previously, move to Greek club Aris FC was said to have broken down due to the Greek club not able to afford a transfer fee and only able to offer a less than ideal wage deal. Which would have meant Newcastle United having to pay money towards Muto’s wages for this next year, if they wanted to make the move happen.

Yoshinori Muto had been back training in pre-season but his only time on the pitch in friendlies was 11 minutes in the defeat to sixth tier York.

Fair to say that 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 in July 2021 and with only one year left on his Newcastle contract, quite clearly Yoshinori Muto needed to move on, whilst NUFC desperately needed to clear him and other players not up to the job off the wage bill.

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