Isaac Hayden’s latest comments are concerning – This could be about to get quite messy

Almost two weeks on from news of his transfer request, unsettled midfielder Isaac Hayden has insisted that ‘nothing has changed’ – insisting that he is desperate to secure a move back down south to be closer to his family.

Hayden admits that he is a ‘professional’ and will ‘deal with it’ if a move does not materialise between now and August 9th (deadline day), however it really does sound like a situation Benitez needs to sort out.

The Chronicle insist that Benitez is ‘unlikely’ to allow Hayden to leave unless a replacement is signed – with Shelvey, Ki and Diame his only other obvious options in midfield – but keeping an unhappy camper could be unsettling for the squad.

Here’s what Hayden’s said over the past few days when addressing talk of him handing in a transfer request at the club:

“The club know my stance. I spoke to them at the start of the summer,” he said.

“I spoke to the manager, I spoke to the club. I let them know about the situation. I’ve done my bit for the club. I helped the club get promoted and I helped the club stay in the Premier League last season.

“I just hope that they can find a solution to help me with my situation. If not, I’m a professional, so I’m going to do my job, but they know my stance. It’s not changed.”

Hayden then admits that his move is not down to football reasons, stating that it’s a decision he did not want to make but feeling as though he had ‘no other alternative’:

“It’s a decision I didn’t come to very easily, but it was a decision I had to make.

“Football’s obviously important to me, but family’s a completely different ball game, and, for me, family takes precedence over football.

“I didn’t want to have to make the decision I made, but I felt there was no other alternative. I spoke with the club about it at the start of the off-season so they had plenty of time to be aware of it, but things haven’t materialised how I hoped they’d materialise. But, like I said, I’m still a professional. Whatever happens at the end of the window, I have to deal with it.

“My stance hasn’t changed. The club know my stance hasn’t changed. It’s just about trying to find a solution which works best for the football club and works best for me. I’ve done my bit over the last two years to get this football club back kind of where it belongs in the top 10 of the Premier League, and I just hope they recognise that and help me with a solution.”

It’s a difficult one. Benitez will want what’s best for the player and so would most Newcastle fans who could totally sympathise with his situation (being away from his partner and young daughter), however Rafa will only do what is best for the club.

Selling him and failing to get a replacement would leave us short and the fact we’ve not brought anyone in to replace him as of yet probably shows the frustrating reality of how slow we tend to move in the market.

Here’s what The Chronicle have had to say on the situation, stating Hayden has ‘barely trained’ after missing out on the pre-season camp in Ireland – also suggesting that a move to Brighton now looks unlikely:

‘It’s unlikely that Benitez will allow Hayden to leave unless a replacement can be brought in. However Hayden’s situation means that he has barely trained and missed out on the pre-season camp in Ireland but he was happy to get out on the pitch at the KCOM.

‘Hayden hopes to move back south to be closer to his young family, but despite rumours of interest from Brighton, no move has materialised.’

Let’s hope this one can get sorted out to suit both Hayden and the club.

He’s a good young player and one Rafa would clearly prefer not to lose so soon, but he and his family clearly need him to secure a move down south.

Providing we get a capable replacement, I hope he does