Ghana winger Christian Atsu is officially a free agent after his contract with English Premier League side Newcastle United came to an end.
Atsu, 29, first joined Newcastle on loan from Chelsea in 2016 and made the deal permanent in July 2017.
He made 107 appearances for Newcastle and scored 8 goals during his five-year stint on Tyneside but found game time difficult to come by in the just-ended English Premier League season.
Speaking about his departure from the club on Instagram, Atsu expressed gratitude to fans and staff of the club for making him feel welcome.
He posted: “When I arrived in Newcastle almost 5 years ago, I was made to feel welcome from the start..by everyone at the club and especially by the fans. I grew to love the city and my young family feel very at home here. Sadly, the time has now come for me to leave the club, so I just wanted to say a big thank you to everyone who is part of the Newcastle Utd family. Thank you to the Toon Army fans, a lot of whom I’ve met around the city. I will never forget my time in the North East and for sure I will follow the results every week. Thank you my geordie staff, players & fans, it’s been a pleasure! “.
Atsu who joined Magpies lads on a four-year deal from fellow Premier League side Chelsea FC with a transfer fee of €7.50 million in 2017.
The Ghana international has been struggling for playing time under Steve Bruce after the injury he picked up during the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations in Egypt.
He was left out of Newcastle United’s first squad after uninspiring performance which saw him making six appearances for the club’s U23 team in the English Premier League 2 with a goal to his credit.
