Will Ki be able to regain his early-season 2018-19 form or will he be stuck on the Newcastle United bench in 2019-20?
After signing with Newcastle United from Swansea City, Ki played a crucial role early in the season, But, the emergence of other midfielders, international duty, and injuries pushed him out of the first-choice lineup. Will we see a return to his form from early last season or was that an outlier for a rotational player?
By the Numbers
Age: 30
Contract runs until: June 2020
2018-19 EPL stats: 18 appearances, one assist, 52 accurate long balls, 33 passes per match
2019-20 Outlook
The central midfield rotation will be interesting to watch for Newcastle United and Ki will absolutely have a role in that. Sean Longstaff, Isaac Hayden, and Jonjo Shelvey seem to be the trio battling for two starting spots, but Hayden could always get his wish and transferred away from Tyneside. Ki seems to be in the next group on that pecking order along with Jack Colback, likely ahead of Henri Saivet.
Ki’s playstyle makes for a tricky situation for Steve Bruce. The South Korean international is a steady player in the midfield that cycles the ball well around the pitch and controls the pace of the match. That seems to fit more as a starter than a substitute. You would typically want a gamechanger to come off the bench, not a stabilizer. His best chances off the bench would be if the club has a lead and wants to take off an attacking player to add his calming influence down the stretch.
Expert Predictions
Durim Halimi: Ki will be fourth option in central midfield
Ki Sung-yueng is a quality midfielder who is the master of composure when the ball is at his feet, but it is becoming quite obvious that Steve Bruce’s pecking order in midfield has Jonjo Shelvey and Sean Longstaff as the regular starters and Isaac Hayden will start a fair share of games, too. Ki’s impact this preseason has been minimal and I expect that trend to carry over into the new season.
Carson A. Merk: He will make less than 15 appearances this season.
I don’t expect Ki to factor into the plans for Bruce and Newcastle United this year, unless Isaac Hayden is sold. His lack of a major defensive presence or product in the final third will have him comfortably on the outside of the first-choice options in the central midfield, potentially even behind Colback. Last season, he made 18 appearances. This year, I think he’s closer to ten with very few starts.