Shrewd signing of Ki brings leadership and consistency to the Magpies
SOUTH KOREAN MAY NOT BE BIG NAME ARRIVAL BUT IS AN EXPERIENCED CAMPAIGNER
WHILE Ki Sung-yueng’s arrival at Newcastle United on a free transfer may not have captured the imagination of fans in the way a club-record deal for a proven top-flight striker would, it is a shrewd piece of business nonetheless.
Rafa Benitez wants to add greater Premier League experience to his Magpies side and, in Ki, he has acquired a midfielder who has been a first-team regular in the English top flight for half-a-dozen years.
Add to that the 104 appearances Ki has made for South Korea - who he has captained for the past four years, including at this summer’s World Cup in Russia - and you have a player who should bring leadership and a reassuring calmness to the United side.
At 29 years of age, Ki is also one of the oldest outfield players on United’s books - with Mo Diame the only first-team regular, aside from Martin Dubravka, to have celebrated a greater numbers of birthdays than the Bosman-free signing.
The character references United have received for Ki from Swansea City, Celtic, South Korea, and even bitter rivals Sunderland - where the midfielder spent the 2013/15 campaign on loan - have all been glowing.
Jonjo Shelvey is believed to have provided one of them, given that he and Ki struck up an excellent understanding with the England international in South Wales during the 2014/15 campaign, and Benitez will hope to rekindle that partnership in the United midfield.
Another thing Ki is renowned for is his consistency; he is rarely manof-the-match material, but he is always a dependable presence in that pivotal deep-lying role.
Ki can also operate in a moreadvanced position on occasion too, increasing the midfield options Benitez has at his disposal.
Crucially, too, it is understood that during discussions with Benitez, Ki made it clear he is willing to fight for a starting berth at St James’ Park; he does not expect to be automatically given a place in the first XI, and relishes the opportunity to compete for a place in the side.
Given that the South Korea captain appears to be a ready-made replacement for Mikel Merino, who is pushing for a move to Real Sociedad due to his lack of starts last season, that is an encouraging sign too.
Mo Diame and Shelvey will likely be in pole position to begin the new campaign as United’s first-choice holding pairing following their magnificent displays so far in 2018 together - and due to the fact Ki is now on holiday and will only return to Tyneside about a fortnight before the season begins.
But the prospect of Diame, Shelvey, Ki and Isaac Hayden all competing for two central-midfield positions across the course of the season is one which should help drive up standards even further.
Should Ki announce his retirement from international football, as he has hinted that he might both publicly and during conversations with Benitez, then United will not lose the midfielder for the monthlong Asian Cup in January, as is currently the case.
Make no mistake, Ki is not the marquee signing Newcastle fans want the club to make this summer - nor is he likely to dominate the headlines next season for his matchwinning performances.
But United held off strong competition to sign the midfielder, with
Everton and AC Milan just two of the clubs pursuing him.
Benitez’s extensive contact book helped Newcastle pounce and secure the deal, with the United manager kept informed of Ki’s situation throughout the South Korean’s time out in Russia.
With Alassane Plea believed to have expressed a keen interest in working for Benitez too, it shows the value of having such a well-respected and world-renowned coach as the Spaniard in situ at St James’ Park.
The Newcastle manager will construct a squad capable of challenging for a top-10 finish and who can have a tilt at cup competitions - as long as he is given the resources to do so.
His connections within the game helped Benitez to lure Kenedy to Tyneside on loan, learn of Florian Lejeune’s release clause ahead of his rivals, and convince Ki to join Newcastle despite keen interest from elsewhere. But, as astute as Benitez is at wheeling and dealing - if Merino’s £10m release clause is activated by Sociedad or another Spanish club, then the Magpies manager has astutely replaced the unsettled midfielder and secured himself additional transfer funds at the same time - he needs to be given a significant kitty in order to be able to make United truly competitive. The continued discussions with Chelsea over re-signing Kenedy are also a positive, given the impact he can still make on Tyneside. While Newcastle’s initial bid for Plea is encouraging in one sense, though the Magpies need to back that up by either completing that transfer or signing an alternative proven top-flight striker. Securing free agents and activating release clauses will only take United so far; if Newcastle want to become truly competitive, significant money needs to be spent on attacking reinforcements.