Newcastle head towards financial loss on Yoshinori Muto after an awful start

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Newcastle United are undoubtedly heading towards a loss on Yoshinori Muto. The Japanese forward is not starting life in Spain well.

Newcastle United sent Yoshinori Muto off on loan this season after a very disappointing two years. They signed him in 2018 for a reported £9.5m after impressive seasons with Mainz.

Muto had bagged 20 goals over three season for the middling Bundesliga side – a decent return. His work-rate and energy only added to mix and the Japan international seemed like a fine signing.

But his first season with Newcastle brought about just five starts and one goal. His second was even worse. Steve Bruce started him just twice in the Premier League and Muto didn’t score at all.

Now two years into his initial four-year contract, the Magpies loaned him to Eibar in Spain. It’s a late attempt to rebuild the player, presumably to generate some sort of fee in a year.

But Muto’s start has been awful. After just a minute on his debut, Muto got a run of three starts. They didn’t got well, however – Muto gave the ball away with a bad touch twice as often as he managed a shot (all stats per Whoscored).

And that doesn’t include the seven times players tackled him.

Unsurprisingly, Muto has been out of the starting XI for the last two Eibar games, getting just eight minutes in the latest. And you can perhaps sum up his efforts with his passing stats – over his last give appearances, only once has Muto completed more than 2/3rds of his passes.

There will only be one more year left on his contract at the end of the season. It will be Newcastle’s final chance to recoup any of that £9.5m, then, but his performances thus far don’t suggest anyone will front the cash for him.

Newcastle are staring down the barrel of a £9.5m loss on this one.