According to a report in Sky Sports, Newcastle United have now “given up hope on signing Jesse Lingard.” This comes after Manchester United rejected their £6m loan offer. If this figure us true then it’s yet another example of how utterly incompetent the United board is at running the club right now.
United, well aware Lingard was surplus to requirements even before they acquired Jadon Sancho in the summer, could’ve sold Lingard for £20m in the last transfer window.
West Ham was ready, willing and able then, and now they’re rejecting Newcastle’s money, at a time when the English winger will become a free agent in just five months.
The 29-year-old attacking midfielder got the blessing of interim manager Ralf Rangnick to leave today but with the Geordies out of the picture where can he go now?
According to The Athletic, Tottenham, West Ham (who took him on loan in this period last season) and Everton have all seen their approaches rejected.
With only five days left until the winter window deadline passes, United are in serious risk of seeing Lingard leave and get absolutely nothing in return. The club has absolutely no one to blame but themselves for that.
They really didn’t even get their January transfer business started until just yesterday, when Anthony Martial finally got his move, a loan deal that sees him join Sevilla FC. Maybe the club’s leadership can somehow rally and get it together in these final hours here.
LOL! We’ll see. Don’t hold your breath.
Paul M. Banks is the owner/manager of The Bank (TheSportsBank.Net) and author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” as well as “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He has regularly appeared in WGN, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune, and co-hosts the After Extra Time podcast. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram.