“He’s a quality player..” – Arsenal legend reveals why he’s a big fan of this Benitez signing

Former Arsenal midfielder Ray Parlour has praised Ki Sung-yueng following his impressive performance at Burnley on Monday, saying the South Korean is a ‘real quality player’ who is ‘never flustered’ on the ball.

It’s still early days as far as his Newcastle United career is concerned, but if his last three displays are anything to go by, Ki looks set to be one hell of a freebie.

After arriving on a free over the summer he initially struggled to force his way into Rafa’s side (even missing out on several match day squads), however he has really shown his class since Shelvey’s injury at the start of the month, with his quality on the ball and calmness in possession really helping us control games .

Here’s what Parlour has said about both he and Shelvey after watching our win over Burnley on Monday:

“You’ve got no Shelvey playing either but I thought the midfield were very good, I really like Ki,” 

“He’s a real quality player on the ball, he’s never flustered.

“Absolutely (when asked if it will be hard for Shelvey to get back in). I think Benitez is now thinking ‘I like this problem’ as he’s got two midfielders who have done a great job, so he can’t really change the team again.

” So Shelvey probably has to bide his time to get in.”

I couldn’t agree more. Not just about Ki, but about the idea that Jonjo Shelvey should NOT just walk back into the team once he’s fully fit again.

Parlour hits the nail on the head with Ki – he really never does look flustered with the ball at his feet. This was shown on Monday, with him staying calm and almost always picking the right pass when others would probably panic and risk losing the ball cheaply.

Here’s hoping he can keep it up ahead of Saturday’s clash with West Ham.

(Fancy writing for us? Send any articles/ideas over to us at [email protected] & we’ll get back to you!)

About Olly Hawkins

As a Junior Magpie since birth and season ticket holder, I eat, sleep and breathe all things NUFC! Here at the blog, I aim to bring you news, views, match reports and transfer exclusives as and when I get them.

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