On Wednesday, local time in England, English Premier League powerhouse Newcastle United officially announced that it had reached an agreement on the termination of the contract of Japanese striker Muto Kakie, and the Japanese international may re-launch his career in the Japanese J-League.
Newcastle have released an official statement, "By mutual consent, Japanese player Yoshinori Muto has chosen to leave and both the club and the player have agreed to terminate the remaining year of his contract. All of us at Newcastle would like to thank him for his hard work for St. James' Park and wish him all the best for the future."
The 29-year-old Yoshinori Muto moved to Newcastle from Bundesliga side Mainz in 2018 and has made 10 starts and 18 substitute appearances for the team in all competitions, contributing two goals. His first of those goals came in a Premier League match away to Manchester United, while his second came in the League Cup against Leicester City. Last summer, he was loaned to La Liga side Haval.
Kaki Muto started his career in European soccer with FC Tokyo in Japan before joining Bundesliga side Mainz in the summer of 2015. He made 29 appearances for the Japan national team, scoring three goals, and played with the team at the 2018 World Cup. After the World Cup, Newcastle signed him for £9.5 million and offered him a four-year contract with a salary of up to £54,000 per week.
However, Yoshinori Muto's performance at Newcastle did not live up to expectations, and after a loan spell at Haval last season, he scored only 3 goals in 28 appearances. In the end, Newcastle considered it an unsuccessful deal and decided to terminate his contract early with only one year left on his contract. According to Sky Sports, Muto is likely to return to Japan's J-League to join Kobe Victory, once he regains his freedom.
Last year, Newcastle owner Mike Ashley tried to sell the club to Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, but the deal was not officially approved by the Premier League. After the deal fell through, Mike Ashley expressed his extreme dissatisfaction with the situation and reduced his investment in Newcastle FC.
This summer, Newcastle became the only Premier League club yet to make any reinforcements, and instead had a number of players return to the squad after expiring contracts or loans. With the new season set to begin next weekend, Newcastle boss Steve Bruce is looking to bring in new players to bolster his squad, with his first targets being the extension of Arsenal youngster Willock and the loan of defender Tuanzebe from Manchester United.
