Football League World
·13 March 2024
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·13 March 2024
Newcastle United are looking to offload Isaac Hayden in the upcoming summer transfer window.
According to Chronicle Live, the Magpies are keen to sell the midfielder in order to get his wages off the books.
The 28-year-old is currently on loan at QPR, where he has become an important member of Martí Cifuentes’ squad since signing in January.
He has made eight appearances since arriving in the winter, including six starts, and has played a role in the team’s rise out of the relegation zone in the Championship (all stats from Fbref).
With two years remaining on his Newcastle contract, the Premier League side may have to agree to a cut-rate price in order to alleviate a deal, especially as QPR may find his reported £50,000 per week salary a stumbling block in any possible permanent deal.
Carlton Palmer believes that a permanent deal to sign Hayden this summer would make a lot of sense, as he has been impressed by the player’s impact since signing in January.
However, he has warned that the club needs to be wary of over-spending even if they do need to add greater quality to their squad for next season.
“Isaac Hayden, who is currently on loan at QPR from Newcastle, has had a fine second half of the season” Palmer told Football League World.
“QPR have just pulled outside the relegation zone, and he’s very instrumental in that, in QPR’s resurgence in recent times.
“Newcastle have made it clear that he can leave in the summer, they want to let him go and offload him and get his wages off the bill.
“The stumbling block for QPR, of course QPR would like to take him, but even if he’s available on a free, the problem will be his £50k-per-week reported salary.
“Should QPR survive this season, and I believe they will, the manager’s done a fantastic job and I think they’ll survive.
“They won’t want to be in this position next season, so they’ll want to sign better players.
“Isaac would be one of those better players given the way he’s performed, but it’s whether they can come to a deal on his salary.
“So, obviously, no deal will be talked about until they know which division they are in, but £50,000 [per week] in the Championship is a lot of money.
“Given the way Hayden has performed in the second half of the season, there will be a lot of clubs interested in him, but QPR need to sign better players to avoid being in this position next year, but they also have to be careful of the amount of money they’re spending.”
QPR have moved out of the relegation zone in recent weeks due to a positive run of form that included three wins in a row.
The London club lost last weekend, suffering a 2-0 defeat to Middlesbrough, which has left them 20th in the Championship table.
The gap to the bottom three is now just one point with only nine games remaining in the campaign.
Next up for Rangers is a trip to the Stadium of Light to face Sunderland on 16 March.
Hayden’s loan spell has been quite positive for QPR so far, with the midfielder adding quality and experience to the squad.
However, a permanent deal will be a more complicated agreement to arrange.
The player’s wages are far too high relative to the rest of the QPR squad, meaning a pay cut will likely be needed in order to afford Hayden.
This could prevent a deal, especially if another Championship side decides to step in with a greater offer that the club cannot match.
Live