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Newcastle United’s Matt Ritchie reportedly agrees to terms with Stoke City

ByDeclan Ryan|
NEWCASTLE UPON TYNE, ENGLAND - DECEMBER 30: Matt Ritchie of Newcastle United in action during the Premier League match between Newcastle United and Brighton and Hove Albion at St. James Park on December 30, 2017 in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. (Photo by Mark Runnacles/Getty Images)
NEWCASTLE UPON TYNE, ENGLAND - DECEMBER 30: Matt Ritchie of Newcastle United in action during the Premier League match between Newcastle United and Brighton and Hove Albion at St. James Park on December 30, 2017 in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. (Photo by Mark Runnacles/Getty Images)

The 28-year-old Scotsman has spent two years at the Magpies, but he looks poised to join the Potters for their Championship campaign next season.

Toon fans have been waiting patiently for the club to kick off their summer transfer window with a bang, following the shrewd signing of Korea captain Ki-Sung-yeung last week on a free transfer.

Young Spanish midfielder Mikel Merino is widely expected to leave the club with a reported £12m release clause, and Serbia’s Aleksandar Mitrovic is facing an uncertain future with Benitez looking to raise funds to improve upon last season’s 10th place finish in the Premier League.

There have been rumblings over the future of Matt Ritchie, who despite making some vital contributions down the stretch in the 17/18 season only managed 3 goals and 5 assists in 35 league appearances. Ritchie scored winning goals against both Manchester United and Arsenal last season, but his last assist came in November 2017 and he didn’t manage to score a league goal until February. Now, it seems the rumblings may have more validity.

Reports suggest that Ritchie has already agreed on personal terms with the Potters, but the transfer fee is not yet set in stone with around £15m rumoured to be the asking price. At £15m, there is value for the club in selling him not least because of his age, but Newcastle must be careful in allowing too many players to leave without adequately filling the void of attacking talent at the club.

It would be tough to replace the work rate and professionalism the Scotsman embodies on the right side of Newcastle’s midfield, and by all accounts, he was an excellent fit for Benitez’s defensive style of play. However, at 28 years old there’s not much room for improvement, and the stats don’t lie – Ritchie is a far more effective player in the Championship.

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Going back to his time at Bournemouth, Ritchie had his best ever season during the Cherries promotion to the Premier League scoring 15 goals and assisting 17 more in 44 appearances. Unfortunately the following season he was unable to reproduce such fantastic form, managing only 4 goals and 6 assists in 37 top flight matches before joining Newcastle for £12m in 2016.

A player who’s rarely come off the bench in his career, Stoke’s interest is understandable given just how reliable of a starter Ritchie can be. Despite not reaching his Bournemouth heights he still scored 12 goals and had 7 assists for Newcastle in the Championship, and having two promotions to his name must be a very attractive proposition for a side that has recent history in the Premier League and wants to return as soon as possible.

The endless rumours of ex-Toon winger Andros Townsend rejoining the club have persisted this summer, but it’s hard to see the Palace winger as an upgrade over Ritchie especially given the latter’s positive influence in the dressing room. Newcastle’s brilliant 2018 form was born largely from a real togetherness and unity in the squad, and it would be a more encouraging sight to see the club build on the core of that side rather than making like-for-like replacements.

Strikers Joshua King and Nicolai Jorgensen have both been linked with moves to St. James Park, but the latter in particular did not impress at the World Cup with a crucial miss in a penalty shootout that saw Denmark bow out of the tournament to Croatia. It seems unlikely that Benitez would allow Ritchie to leave without already having a replacement in place, but instead of a striker, we could see a return for Brazilian Kenedy on another one year loan from Chelsea which would be a positive move.

Ritchie may not have set the Premier League alight last season, but he still has immeasurable value to this Newcastle squad and the club must consider whether they need to sell him to improve the squad over the summer. Stoke will be over the moon if they can land the Scotsman and he would undoubtedly be a huge success for them in the Championship, but Newcastle must reassess their priorities if they haven’t already identified an upgrade going forward.