Newcastle United keen to buy back former St James’ Park outcast
Published:
Tuesday night’s 2-0 victory at Oakwell sent Newcastle to the top of the Championship for the first time this season. But boss Rafa Benitez still feels his squad can be improved – and former Magpies man Tamas Kadar is reportedly top of the Spaniard’s wishlist.
Kadar spent four years on Tyneside from 2008-2012, but despite making 13 league appearances as Newcastle last won promotion from this level in 2009-10, he didn’t get a single minute of game time after Alan Pardew took over the reins the following season.
While it may not quite rank with Manchester United waving Paul Pogba off into the sunset before buying him back for £89m, the current Magpies boss has good reason to think the club were unwise to let Kalar go.
The versatile Hungarian defender has been a hugely reliable performer for current side Lech Poznan, helping them lift the Ekstraklasa title in 2014-15, following stints in his native Hungary and a season with Dutch outfit Roda JC.
Powerful and reliable, he’s also no stranger to the pressure of big games, having started in all three of Hungary’s Euro 2016 group matches.
And as for whether he can handle the rigours of English football? He’s done so before, and would return to St James’ Park a far more complete player than when he left.
While this deal could well be wrapped up as soon as January, Benitez must try to continue the Geordies’ recent momentum with the players at his disposal.
It’s fair to say his current crop aren’t doing too badly, having won their last four games.
They face an Ipswich side who’ve found the net just twice in their last six games, so the 4/9 for a Newcastle win looks like the proverbial ‘home banker’ – while the 11/10 for the hosts to win to nil could be the best bet of all.
Odds and Markets are correct as of the date of publishing
