【喜鵲短片】百萬一場——沙維特(Henri Saivet)
2021年6月30日，若要問紐卡素球迷在這天最值得高興的事是甚麼，我相信十居其九都會答你：沙維特終於走了。是的，沙維特終於走了，這位從2016年1月11日入隊，歷任三朝領隊，在隊內資歷僅次於卡路爾(Andy Carroll)、杜密特(Paul Dummett)、卡爾達路(Karl Darlow)及拿修斯(Jamaal Lascelles)的塞內加爾中場，在五年半之後，終於完成和紐卡素的合約，光榮離開紐卡素。沒錯，「沙維特」這個名字，若不是資深的紐卡素球迷，聽到有這一位球員的第一個反應，恐怕也是：”Who?” 的確，一個在過去五年只上陣8次的球員，甚至近幾季連注冊也沒有的球員，實在難以使人廣為認識。不過作為在社會底層的「打工仔」，沙維特，絕對是一個值得您認識的「打工皇帝」——一個一場百萬出場費的職業球員。
也許是此事過於獵奇，獵奇得連Tifo Football也特意為此製作了一條短片，嘗試向大家介紹沙維特在紐卡素的奇妙旅程。為方便討論，我特意按其內容打下原文及譯文，以供大家討論：
*片內所有敍述時間、年齡的記錄皆以錄製此片時時間為界，即2019年9月27日。
沙維特，一位天下「打工仔」的偶像，唔使做，䟴䟴腳等出糧。
2016年5月，波爾多大西洋球場(Matmut Atlantique Stadium)內有一幅橫額，上面大刺刺地用法文寫道：「對於那些夢寐以求去英格蘭的你們，紐卡素的板櫈仍然有空位。」橫額意指的是早前在隊內徐徐冒起的隊內新星沙維特——剛在四個月前去了泰恩河畔。
2016年5月的紐卡素，從英超降班的陰霾籠罩着紐卡素，而部分支持者仍然深陷由前隊長帶來的痛苦而無法自拔。
由加盟起至今，沙維特在紐卡素可謂苦無立錐之地，甚至連後備席也距離沙維特很遠很遠。有時候，甚至連紐卡素球迷也會忘記了，原來這位28歲的球員至今仍是紐卡素的一員（截至截稿的一刻，他已經30歲），不過即使忘記，也不是球迷的錯。沒錯，沙維特至今仍是紐卡素的球員，不過，再一次地，他無法躋身布魯士(Steve Bruce)的25人英超大軍名單，而且和他一同落選的，還有經驗豐富的中場，「紅頭派路」高碧克(Jack Colback)。
時光茬苒，五季半的時間，沙維特總共為紐卡素踢了共232分鐘的聯賽，前後亦一共為紐卡素於各項比賽踢了8場而已。8場比賽中，有3次是聯賽正選。反倒是外借次數更值得人注意，他至今已前後被三次外借，同時每周仍在領取32,000鎊周薪，而當中只有一部分是由其他球會借用時補貼，考慮到他的合約由製作此片起計尚有18個月才完結，這即代表着紐卡素於接下來一季半的時間，仍然要支付他超過500萬鎊的薪金。不但如此，如果再考慮到當初紐卡素為簽下他而向波爾多支付的450萬鎊轉會費，倘若沙維特在接下來的時間都不獲派上場，到完約的一刻，沙維特為紐卡素出場的費用竟超過100萬鎊一場。(案：事實上由影片上載那一天起，至2021年6月30日，沙維特再沒有為紐卡素多上任何一場比賽。)
然而，有別於過往三個夏天，沙維特今夏並沒有被放逐到U23和他們一齊訓練。相反，新任領隊布魯士選擇讓28歲的沙維特和高碧克留下，繼續參與一隊的訓練，並認為他們並沒有犯下任何過錯，要嚴重到要將他們放逐至U23般侮辱。消息人士亦指出，沙維特在隊內絕無做成任何負面影響。他在訓練場上雖然比較安靜，但他每次出現都是以一種快樂的狀態迎人，例如可以經常見到他與利祖尼(Florian Lejeune)混在一起，又或與艾素(Christian Atsu)一起共晉午餐。甚至是連布魯士也與這名中場球員有著融洽的關係：例如曾與沙維特一起開玩笑，脫掉他的帽子，和在飯堂內撥亂他的頭髮。球隊內部人士表示，儘管其足球水平上令人失望，但沙維特並沒有像高碧克那樣對其目前狀況而對外表示不滿或沮喪，他喜歡在泰恩河畔生活。雖然嚴格來說，這名塞內加爾國腳並不是紐卡素一隊的一員，但他仍獲大家接納，認為其於隊內有助團隊氣氛。
反而令人疑惑的是，在泰恩河畔以外，沙維特是不是仍是個受人關注的足球員呢？遠的不看，至少在2019的非洲國家杯決賽塞內加爾以0-1輸給阿爾及利亞那場，他更甚至是正選之一。那麼，為甚麼連續三任的紐卡素領隊都選擇忽視他呢？
這個問題可以追溯到他最初簽約的時候。21世紀10年代初期，紐卡素曾掀起一場「法國大革命」，而他恰巧是紐卡素當時所簽下的最後一名新兵，他的存在，彷彿象徵著起初以賓艾化(Hatem Ben Arfa)和卡巴耶(Yohan Cabaye)等簽約為起點的發展藍圖，是如何淪為陳舊落伍。
在法國人脈甚廣的時任紐卡素首席球探卡爾(Graham Carr)一直是沙維特的仰慕者。自卡爾看過這位獲稱為「下一位亨利」(Thierry Henry)，並在2008年版Football Manager中成長為明星球員的年輕前鋒後，卡爾一直對其念念不此。即使沙維特在傷後變為防守中場，卡爾對他仍興趣不減。2015年11月，一場於晏菲路球場舉行的歐霸盃分組賽中，雲集了來自紐卡素，史雲斯和熱刺的球探。在這場利物浦以2比1撃敗波爾多的賽事中，沙維特不僅為波爾多射入惟一的一球，更當選該場比賽的Man of the Match。由於紐卡素害怕錯過沙維特，於是當該季冬季轉會窗一開之際，紐卡素就迅速以450萬鎊簽下沙維特。不過，時任領隊麥卡倫(Steve McClaren)當時最心儀的中場目標卻是舒維爾(Jonjo Shelvey)，而且即使當時陣中的科特迪瓦國腳迪奧堤(Cheick Tiote)要求於該季離隊，沙維特的履歷亦沒有引起麥卡倫的興趣。最終，紐卡素同時簽下舒維爾及沙維特兩人，但迪奧堤卻未能於該轉會窗離開紐卡素。結果沙維特很快就發現，自己在僅獲兩次正選後就被麥卡倫雪藏起來。
賓尼迪斯(Rafa Benitez)走馬上任後，他完全無法理解為何沙維特和從羅馬借來的前鋒杜姆比亞(Seydou Doumbia)可以在一月轉會窗時被紐卡素帶來英超。沙維特很快便發現他被放逐至預備組，然後又被外借回法國的聖伊天，紐卡素2016-2017球季在英冠奪冠升班的一切，彷彿與他毫不相干。在賓尼迪斯眼中，沙維特雖然技術細膩，但他缺乏在英格蘭踢波的身體質素和耐力。而且，沙維特更犯了一項頂撞上司的罪名，他曾為他的密友古方(Yoan Gouffran)和奧巴坦(Gabriel Obertan)出頭，指他們遠比那些「英國球員」「要好得多」，並且認為賓尼迪斯應該要讓他兩位朋友在紐卡素踢得更多，當他這樣公開捍衛他的朋友後，他在賓尼迪斯的治下更是前途黯淡。至於態度問題？賓尼迪斯倒是從未質疑過沙維特的態度，不過亦有可能是他根本不視沙維特為一名球員。情況一直到2017年夏季轉會窗，賓尼迪斯將沙維特擺上貨架但無人問津，而被迫將其再次送回預備組後才得到改善。當賓尼迪斯意識到他無法通過轉會窗而幫助球隊陣容「瘦身」後，他終於把那遲來的球衣號碼分給沙維特。然而，沙維特仍然一直未有獲得任何上陣機會，直至該季的聖誕節——紐卡素當時正面臨嚴重的傷兵潮。
沙維特於作客韋斯咸一役，終獲賓尼迪斯派遣，伙拍其好友迪亞美(Mohamed Diame)，成為紐卡素在倫敦體育場的中場搭檔。不過久疏戰陣的他卻為紐卡素帶來一個心驚的開局，他甫上場就替韋斯咸的阿拿杜域(Marko Arnautovic)交出一記致命回傳，令阿拿杜域輕鬆射入整場比賽的第一個入球。然而，僅僅四分鐘後，沙維特將功贖罪，他主動承擔起罰球的重責，並妥妥地將罰球由25碼外送進龍門的底角。及後的80分鐘時間，沙維特雖然再無亮眼表現，但亦無重大過錯。不過又有誰料到，這場竟是沙維特在賓尼迪斯麾下的絕唱？甚至是其在紐卡素的謝幕？
若然問紐卡素的球迷，他們亦不了解沙維特為甚麼在入球後就消失得無影無踪。歸根究底，最重要的不是他做了甚麼，而是他不能做甚麼：欠缺身為中場該有主宰力和影響力，是他再次被打入冷宮的原因。據隊內消息人士指出，他們認為沙維特只是「一個幾乎全不能的罰球專家」。在2017年的冬季轉會窗，沙維特終於暫離泰恩河畔，並在領隊Samet Aybaba麾下，分別在土耳其的施華斯(Sivasspor)和布爾薩(Bursaspor)度過了18個月的外借生涯。在2018/2019球季，沙維特在布爾薩上陣29次，並多以進攻中場之姿上陣，但重回最佳位置並沒有令其職業生涯止跌回升，29場比賽僅射入2球，最終布爾薩亦於該季降班。黯然回歸泰恩河畔後，儘管沙維特仍不乏來自土耳其和法國的關注，但始終沒有球會有確實的行動。另一邊廂，將沙維特外借至歐洲以外地區的想法亦曾冒出，儘管看似不太可能，但當時由於非洲和中東，包括卡塔爾和阿聯酋的轉會窗戶仍然開啟，因此此舉亦絕非不能。
話說回來，儘管沙維特具備踢聯賽杯的資格，但布魯士仍選擇將他放在大軍名單外。與此同時，在紐卡素的U23比賽中亦不見其蹤影。他最後一場正式的比賽，已要追溯至2019年非洲國家杯決賽，該場比賽他一共踢了75分鐘。他仍舊是個謎一般的球員：在土耳其的他明顯非常掙扎，但在國家隊的他卻是個具有足夠創造力，可以為文尼(Sadio Mane)，伊斯美拿沙亞(Ismaila Sarr)和麥巴耶尼安(M’Baye Naing)等一眾前鋒供輸彈藥的進攻中場。緩慢的速度和愚鈍的觸覺令紐卡素從未考慮過讓他擔任一如國家隊的角色。在步伐和身體狀況明顯不適應英超的情況下，紐卡素仍舊只視沙維特為防守中場。
由轉會至今四年多，沙維特承認自己從來沒有甚麼「計劃」。對於沙維特來說，連坐在紐卡素的後備席都是一個遙不可及的夢想。是的，他仍然在紐卡素，但他同時也發現，自己其實是一個踢不到足球的職業足球員。
沙維特在紐卡素的生涯數據：
效力時期：2016-2021
上陣次數：8
入球：1
原文可見下文：
Newcastle’s £1m Per Game Footballer, Who Doesn’t Play
Henri Saivet, the Newcastle Footballer who doesn’t play football
In May 2016, a banner at Bordeaux’s Matmut Atlantique Stadium declared in French: “For those dream of England, there’s still room on Newcastle’s bench.” It was aimed at Henri Saivet, who had left for Tyneside four months previously.
Newcastle’s relegation from the Premier League was imminent, and a pocket of supporters were wallowing in their former captain’s misery.
More than three years on, even a place on the bench seems to be beyond Saivet. Their supporters would be forgiven for forgetting that the 28-years-old is still employed by the club. But he remains a Newcastle player – albeit one who is not Steve Bruce’s 25-man Premier League squad, along with fellow experienced midfielder Jack Colback.
Saivet has played a total of 232 league minutes for Newcastle and made only eight appearances for them, three of which were league starts. He has been loaned out three times while collecting his £32,000 a week salary, only part of which has been subsidized, pocketing more than £5 million in wages on a contract that has more than 18 months left to run. Once the £4.5 million fee Newcastle paid Bordeaux is taken into account, each of Saivet’s appearances has come at a cost in excess of £1 million.
However, unlike the previous three summers, Saivet has not been exiled to the academy to train with the under 23s. Instead, new manager Bruce has opted to keep Saivet and Colback, 29, involved in first-team sessions, insisting that they have done nothing to warrant that kind of humiliation. In fact, sources insist that Saivet is not a disruptive influence. He is known to be a quiet but happy presence around the training ground, often spotted with Florian Lejeune or eating lunch with Christian Atsu. Bruce has a positive rapport with the midfielder and has been seen joking with Saivet, removing his cap and ruffling his hair in the team canteen. Although disappointed on a professional level not to be playing, insiders indicate Saivet is not as outwardly frustrated by the situation as Colback and enjoys day-to-day life on Tyneside. The Senegal international is considered a positive presence among the squad, even if he is not technically part of it.
What is curious, though, is that Saivet remains such a high profile footballer away from Tyneside. He started in 2019 Summer’s Africa Cup of Nations final, where Senegal lost 1-0 to Algeria. So why, then, have three successive Newcastle coaches overlooked him?
The issue stems back to when he initially signed. The last recruit during the club’s so-called “French Revolution”, he symbolizes how a blueprint that started so expertly with signings such as Hatem Ben Arfa and Yohan Cabaye had become stale.
The chief scout Graham Carr, who boasted extensive French contacts, had been a long-term admirer of Saivet. Carr had watched a player dubbed as the “next Thierry Henry” – and who became a Football Manager starlet following the game’s 2008 edition – impress as a young forward, before Saivet moved into a defensive midfielder after injury. Scout from Newcastle, Swansea City and Tottenham Hotspur watched at Anfield in November 2015 as Saivet delivered a goalscoring, man of the match display during Bordeaux’s 2-1 Europa League defeat by Liverpool. Fearful they could miss out, Newcastle moved swiftly when the mid-season window opened. Steve McClaren’s top target was Jonjo Shelvey and the head coach was not sold on Saivet’s credentials, even if a long-term successor to Cheick Tiote was required with the Ivorian expected to leave. In the end, Newcastle signed both men, but Tiote’s transfer collapsed and Saivet found himself dropped from the starting line-up by McClaren after only two starts.
Once Rafa Benitez arrived, the Spaniard could not comprehend why Saivet and on loan Roma striker Seydou Doumbia had been brought to the Premier League that January. Saivet found himself banished to the reserves and then sent on loan to Saint-Etienne, in France, for all of Newcastle’s Championship-winning 2016-2017 campaign. In Benitez’s view, while Saivet was technically proficient, he lacked the physicality and stamina to control the midfield in England. And, once Saivet declared that his close friends Yoan Gouffran and Gabriel Obertan were “way better” than the “English players” and should have played more at Newcastle, his future under the Spaniard always appeared bleak. Benitez never had an issue with Saivet’s attitude, he simply didn’t value him as a player. Even though Benitez transfer-listed Saivet in 2017 ands sent him back to the reserves, he was belatedly handed a shirt number once the Newcastle manager realized his desire to entirely reshape the squad would not be realized. However, Saivet still did not make an appearance until injuries forced Benitez’s hand just before Christmas 2017.
Saivet was called in to partner his friend Mohamed Diame in central midfield away to West Ham at the London Stadium and had a dreadful start. He gifted a back-pass straight to Marko Arnautovic for the game’s opening goal. Yet, just four minutes later, Saivet demanded that he take a free kick and he curled a 25-yard effort into the bottom corner. For the game’s remaining 80 minutes, Saivet was steady if unremarkable, but he never made another league appearance under Benitez.
Newcastle supporters have never quite understood why he was discarded after scoring that day. Primarily, it was because of what he failed to do. He did not dominate and influence as a midfielder should. One insider attempted to explain Saivet’s exclusion by stating that “he is a free-kick specialist who seems to do very little else”. Saivet spent the next 18 months out on loan in Turkey, at Sivasspor and Bursaspor, working under coach Samet Aybaba at both. At season 2018/2019, Saivet made 29 appearances for Bursaspor, predominantly as an attacking midfielder, but scored only twice as they were relegated from the top flight. He returned to Tyneside and, despite interest from Turkey and France, failed to secure another move. With windows across Africa and the Middle East, including in Qatar and the UAE, still open, a loan move outside of Europe is improbable but not impossible.
Although Saivet was eligible to play in the Carabao Cup, Bruce opted not to use him. The midfielder has not appeared for the under-23 side, either. His last competitive game was that 75-minute appearance in the Africa Cup of Nations final in 2019. He remains an enigma. Despite his obvious struggles in Turkey, he is deemed creative enough to play as an attacking midfielder for a nation who boast forwards including Sadio Mane, Ismaila Sarr and M’Baye Naing. He has never been considered for such a role at Newcastle as he lacks the speed and guile to excel there. Rather, Saivet still seems to be regarded by them as a defensive midfielder, albeit one who is simply ill-suited to the pace and physicality of the Premier League.
Nearly four years on from a move Saivet admitted he never “planned” to make, a place on the bench is a distant dream. He is still at Newcastle, but finds himself a footballer who doesn’t actually play football.
若果你對紐卡素的任何消息感興趣，歡迎你到我的Facebook專頁喜鵲誌參觀。
2021年6月30日，若要問紐卡素球迷在這天最值得高興的事是甚麼，我相信十居其九都會答你：沙維特終於走了。是的，沙維特終於走了，這位從2016年1月11日入隊，歷任三朝領隊，在隊內資歷僅次於卡路爾(Andy Carroll)、杜密特(Paul Dummett)、卡爾達路(Karl Darlow)及拿修斯(Jamaal Lascelles)的塞內加爾中場，在五年半之後，終於完成和紐卡素的合約，光榮離開紐卡素。沒錯，「沙維特」這個名字，若不是資深的紐卡素球迷，聽到有這一位球員的第一個反應，恐怕也是：”Who?” 的確，一個在過去五年只上陣8次的球員，甚至近幾季連注冊也沒有的球員，實在難以使人廣為認識。不過作為在社會底層的「打工仔」，沙維特，絕對是一個值得您認識的「打工皇帝」——一個一場百萬出場費的職業球員。
也許是此事過於獵奇，獵奇得連Tifo Football也特意為此製作了一條短片，嘗試向大家介紹沙維特在紐卡素的奇妙旅程。為方便討論，我特意按其內容打下原文及譯文，以供大家討論：
*片內所有敍述時間、年齡的記錄皆以錄製此片時時間為界，即2019年9月27日。
沙維特，一位天下「打工仔」的偶像，唔使做，䟴䟴腳等出糧。
2016年5月，波爾多大西洋球場(Matmut Atlantique Stadium)內有一幅橫額，上面大刺刺地用法文寫道：「對於那些夢寐以求去英格蘭的你們，紐卡素的板櫈仍然有空位。」橫額意指的是早前在隊內徐徐冒起的隊內新星沙維特——剛在四個月前去了泰恩河畔。
2016年5月的紐卡素，從英超降班的陰霾籠罩着紐卡素，而部分支持者仍然深陷由前隊長帶來的痛苦而無法自拔。
由加盟起至今，沙維特在紐卡素可謂苦無立錐之地，甚至連後備席也距離沙維特很遠很遠。有時候，甚至連紐卡素球迷也會忘記了，原來這位28歲的球員至今仍是紐卡素的一員（截至截稿的一刻，他已經30歲），不過即使忘記，也不是球迷的錯。沒錯，沙維特至今仍是紐卡素的球員，不過，再一次地，他無法躋身布魯士(Steve Bruce)的25人英超大軍名單，而且和他一同落選的，還有經驗豐富的中場，「紅頭派路」高碧克(Jack Colback)。
時光茬苒，五季半的時間，沙維特總共為紐卡素踢了共232分鐘的聯賽，前後亦一共為紐卡素於各項比賽踢了8場而已。8場比賽中，有3次是聯賽正選。反倒是外借次數更值得人注意，他至今已前後被三次外借，同時每周仍在領取32,000鎊周薪，而當中只有一部分是由其他球會借用時補貼，考慮到他的合約由製作此片起計尚有18個月才完結，這即代表着紐卡素於接下來一季半的時間，仍然要支付他超過500萬鎊的薪金。不但如此，如果再考慮到當初紐卡素為簽下他而向波爾多支付的450萬鎊轉會費，倘若沙維特在接下來的時間都不獲派上場，到完約的一刻，沙維特為紐卡素出場的費用竟超過100萬鎊一場。(案：事實上由影片上載那一天起，至2021年6月30日，沙維特再沒有為紐卡素多上任何一場比賽。)
然而，有別於過往三個夏天，沙維特今夏並沒有被放逐到U23和他們一齊訓練。相反，新任領隊布魯士選擇讓28歲的沙維特和高碧克留下，繼續參與一隊的訓練，並認為他們並沒有犯下任何過錯，要嚴重到要將他們放逐至U23般侮辱。消息人士亦指出，沙維特在隊內絕無做成任何負面影響。他在訓練場上雖然比較安靜，但他每次出現都是以一種快樂的狀態迎人，例如可以經常見到他與利祖尼(Florian Lejeune)混在一起，又或與艾素(Christian Atsu)一起共晉午餐。甚至是連布魯士也與這名中場球員有著融洽的關係：例如曾與沙維特一起開玩笑，脫掉他的帽子，和在飯堂內撥亂他的頭髮。球隊內部人士表示，儘管其足球水平上令人失望，但沙維特並沒有像高碧克那樣對其目前狀況而對外表示不滿或沮喪，他喜歡在泰恩河畔生活。雖然嚴格來說，這名塞內加爾國腳並不是紐卡素一隊的一員，但他仍獲大家接納，認為其於隊內有助團隊氣氛。
反而令人疑惑的是，在泰恩河畔以外，沙維特是不是仍是個受人關注的足球員呢？遠的不看，至少在2019的非洲國家杯決賽塞內加爾以0-1輸給阿爾及利亞那場，他更甚至是正選之一。那麼，為甚麼連續三任的紐卡素領隊都選擇忽視他呢？
這個問題可以追溯到他最初簽約的時候。21世紀10年代初期，紐卡素曾掀起一場「法國大革命」，而他恰巧是紐卡素當時所簽下的最後一名新兵，他的存在，彷彿象徵著起初以賓艾化(Hatem Ben Arfa)和卡巴耶(Yohan Cabaye)等簽約為起點的發展藍圖，是如何淪為陳舊落伍。
在法國人脈甚廣的時任紐卡素首席球探卡爾(Graham Carr)一直是沙維特的仰慕者。自卡爾看過這位獲稱為「下一位亨利」(Thierry Henry)，並在2008年版Football Manager中成長為明星球員的年輕前鋒後，卡爾一直對其念念不此。即使沙維特在傷後變為防守中場，卡爾對他仍興趣不減。2015年11月，一場於晏菲路球場舉行的歐霸盃分組賽中，雲集了來自紐卡素，史雲斯和熱刺的球探。在這場利物浦以2比1撃敗波爾多的賽事中，沙維特不僅為波爾多射入惟一的一球，更當選該場比賽的Man of the Match。由於紐卡素害怕錯過沙維特，於是當該季冬季轉會窗一開之際，紐卡素就迅速以450萬鎊簽下沙維特。不過，時任領隊麥卡倫(Steve McClaren)當時最心儀的中場目標卻是舒維爾(Jonjo Shelvey)，而且即使當時陣中的科特迪瓦國腳迪奧堤(Cheick Tiote)要求於該季離隊，沙維特的履歷亦沒有引起麥卡倫的興趣。最終，紐卡素同時簽下舒維爾及沙維特兩人，但迪奧堤卻未能於該轉會窗離開紐卡素。結果沙維特很快就發現，自己在僅獲兩次正選後就被麥卡倫雪藏起來。
賓尼迪斯(Rafa Benitez)走馬上任後，他完全無法理解為何沙維特和從羅馬借來的前鋒杜姆比亞(Seydou Doumbia)可以在一月轉會窗時被紐卡素帶來英超。沙維特很快便發現他被放逐至預備組，然後又被外借回法國的聖伊天，紐卡素2016-2017球季在英冠奪冠升班的一切，彷彿與他毫不相干。在賓尼迪斯眼中，沙維特雖然技術細膩，但他缺乏在英格蘭踢波的身體質素和耐力。而且，沙維特更犯了一項頂撞上司的罪名，他曾為他的密友古方(Yoan Gouffran)和奧巴坦(Gabriel Obertan)出頭，指他們遠比那些「英國球員」「要好得多」，並且認為賓尼迪斯應該要讓他兩位朋友在紐卡素踢得更多，當他這樣公開捍衛他的朋友後，他在賓尼迪斯的治下更是前途黯淡。至於態度問題？賓尼迪斯倒是從未質疑過沙維特的態度，不過亦有可能是他根本不視沙維特為一名球員。情況一直到2017年夏季轉會窗，賓尼迪斯將沙維特擺上貨架但無人問津，而被迫將其再次送回預備組後才得到改善。當賓尼迪斯意識到他無法通過轉會窗而幫助球隊陣容「瘦身」後，他終於把那遲來的球衣號碼分給沙維特。然而，沙維特仍然一直未有獲得任何上陣機會，直至該季的聖誕節——紐卡素當時正面臨嚴重的傷兵潮。
沙維特於作客韋斯咸一役，終獲賓尼迪斯派遣，伙拍其好友迪亞美(Mohamed Diame)，成為紐卡素在倫敦體育場的中場搭檔。不過久疏戰陣的他卻為紐卡素帶來一個心驚的開局，他甫上場就替韋斯咸的阿拿杜域(Marko Arnautovic)交出一記致命回傳，令阿拿杜域輕鬆射入整場比賽的第一個入球。然而，僅僅四分鐘後，沙維特將功贖罪，他主動承擔起罰球的重責，並妥妥地將罰球由25碼外送進龍門的底角。及後的80分鐘時間，沙維特雖然再無亮眼表現，但亦無重大過錯。不過又有誰料到，這場竟是沙維特在賓尼迪斯麾下的絕唱？甚至是其在紐卡素的謝幕？
若然問紐卡素的球迷，他們亦不了解沙維特為甚麼在入球後就消失得無影無踪。歸根究底，最重要的不是他做了甚麼，而是他不能做甚麼：欠缺身為中場該有主宰力和影響力，是他再次被打入冷宮的原因。據隊內消息人士指出，他們認為沙維特只是「一個幾乎全不能的罰球專家」。在2017年的冬季轉會窗，沙維特終於暫離泰恩河畔，並在領隊Samet Aybaba麾下，分別在土耳其的施華斯(Sivasspor)和布爾薩(Bursaspor)度過了18個月的外借生涯。在2018/2019球季，沙維特在布爾薩上陣29次，並多以進攻中場之姿上陣，但重回最佳位置並沒有令其職業生涯止跌回升，29場比賽僅射入2球，最終布爾薩亦於該季降班。黯然回歸泰恩河畔後，儘管沙維特仍不乏來自土耳其和法國的關注，但始終沒有球會有確實的行動。另一邊廂，將沙維特外借至歐洲以外地區的想法亦曾冒出，儘管看似不太可能，但當時由於非洲和中東，包括卡塔爾和阿聯酋的轉會窗戶仍然開啟，因此此舉亦絕非不能。
話說回來，儘管沙維特具備踢聯賽杯的資格，但布魯士仍選擇將他放在大軍名單外。與此同時，在紐卡素的U23比賽中亦不見其蹤影。他最後一場正式的比賽，已要追溯至2019年非洲國家杯決賽，該場比賽他一共踢了75分鐘。他仍舊是個謎一般的球員：在土耳其的他明顯非常掙扎，但在國家隊的他卻是個具有足夠創造力，可以為文尼(Sadio Mane)，伊斯美拿沙亞(Ismaila Sarr)和麥巴耶尼安(M’Baye Naing)等一眾前鋒供輸彈藥的進攻中場。緩慢的速度和愚鈍的觸覺令紐卡素從未考慮過讓他擔任一如國家隊的角色。在步伐和身體狀況明顯不適應英超的情況下，紐卡素仍舊只視沙維特為防守中場。
由轉會至今四年多，沙維特承認自己從來沒有甚麼「計劃」。對於沙維特來說，連坐在紐卡素的後備席都是一個遙不可及的夢想。是的，他仍然在紐卡素，但他同時也發現，自己其實是一個踢不到足球的職業足球員。
沙維特在紐卡素的生涯數據：
效力時期：2016-2021
上陣次數：8
入球：1
原文可見下文：
Newcastle’s £1m Per Game Footballer, Who Doesn’t Play
Henri Saivet, the Newcastle Footballer who doesn’t play football
In May 2016, a banner at Bordeaux’s Matmut Atlantique Stadium declared in French: “For those dream of England, there’s still room on Newcastle’s bench.” It was aimed at Henri Saivet, who had left for Tyneside four months previously.
Newcastle’s relegation from the Premier League was imminent, and a pocket of supporters were wallowing in their former captain’s misery.
More than three years on, even a place on the bench seems to be beyond Saivet. Their supporters would be forgiven for forgetting that the 28-years-old is still employed by the club. But he remains a Newcastle player – albeit one who is not Steve Bruce’s 25-man Premier League squad, along with fellow experienced midfielder Jack Colback.
Saivet has played a total of 232 league minutes for Newcastle and made only eight appearances for them, three of which were league starts. He has been loaned out three times while collecting his £32,000 a week salary, only part of which has been subsidized, pocketing more than £5 million in wages on a contract that has more than 18 months left to run. Once the £4.5 million fee Newcastle paid Bordeaux is taken into account, each of Saivet’s appearances has come at a cost in excess of £1 million.
However, unlike the previous three summers, Saivet has not been exiled to the academy to train with the under 23s. Instead, new manager Bruce has opted to keep Saivet and Colback, 29, involved in first-team sessions, insisting that they have done nothing to warrant that kind of humiliation. In fact, sources insist that Saivet is not a disruptive influence. He is known to be a quiet but happy presence around the training ground, often spotted with Florian Lejeune or eating lunch with Christian Atsu. Bruce has a positive rapport with the midfielder and has been seen joking with Saivet, removing his cap and ruffling his hair in the team canteen. Although disappointed on a professional level not to be playing, insiders indicate Saivet is not as outwardly frustrated by the situation as Colback and enjoys day-to-day life on Tyneside. The Senegal international is considered a positive presence among the squad, even if he is not technically part of it.
What is curious, though, is that Saivet remains such a high profile footballer away from Tyneside. He started in 2019 Summer’s Africa Cup of Nations final, where Senegal lost 1-0 to Algeria. So why, then, have three successive Newcastle coaches overlooked him?
The issue stems back to when he initially signed. The last recruit during the club’s so-called “French Revolution”, he symbolizes how a blueprint that started so expertly with signings such as Hatem Ben Arfa and Yohan Cabaye had become stale.
The chief scout Graham Carr, who boasted extensive French contacts, had been a long-term admirer of Saivet. Carr had watched a player dubbed as the “next Thierry Henry” – and who became a Football Manager starlet following the game’s 2008 edition – impress as a young forward, before Saivet moved into a defensive midfielder after injury. Scout from Newcastle, Swansea City and Tottenham Hotspur watched at Anfield in November 2015 as Saivet delivered a goalscoring, man of the match display during Bordeaux’s 2-1 Europa League defeat by Liverpool. Fearful they could miss out, Newcastle moved swiftly when the mid-season window opened. Steve McClaren’s top target was Jonjo Shelvey and the head coach was not sold on Saivet’s credentials, even if a long-term successor to Cheick Tiote was required with the Ivorian expected to leave. In the end, Newcastle signed both men, but Tiote’s transfer collapsed and Saivet found himself dropped from the starting line-up by McClaren after only two starts.
Once Rafa Benitez arrived, the Spaniard could not comprehend why Saivet and on loan Roma striker Seydou Doumbia had been brought to the Premier League that January. Saivet found himself banished to the reserves and then sent on loan to Saint-Etienne, in France, for all of Newcastle’s Championship-winning 2016-2017 campaign. In Benitez’s view, while Saivet was technically proficient, he lacked the physicality and stamina to control the midfield in England. And, once Saivet declared that his close friends Yoan Gouffran and Gabriel Obertan were “way better” than the “English players” and should have played more at Newcastle, his future under the Spaniard always appeared bleak. Benitez never had an issue with Saivet’s attitude, he simply didn’t value him as a player. Even though Benitez transfer-listed Saivet in 2017 ands sent him back to the reserves, he was belatedly handed a shirt number once the Newcastle manager realized his desire to entirely reshape the squad would not be realized. However, Saivet still did not make an appearance until injuries forced Benitez’s hand just before Christmas 2017.
Saivet was called in to partner his friend Mohamed Diame in central midfield away to West Ham at the London Stadium and had a dreadful start. He gifted a back-pass straight to Marko Arnautovic for the game’s opening goal. Yet, just four minutes later, Saivet demanded that he take a free kick and he curled a 25-yard effort into the bottom corner. For the game’s remaining 80 minutes, Saivet was steady if unremarkable, but he never made another league appearance under Benitez.
Newcastle supporters have never quite understood why he was discarded after scoring that day. Primarily, it was because of what he failed to do. He did not dominate and influence as a midfielder should. One insider attempted to explain Saivet’s exclusion by stating that “he is a free-kick specialist who seems to do very little else”. Saivet spent the next 18 months out on loan in Turkey, at Sivasspor and Bursaspor, working under coach Samet Aybaba at both. At season 2018/2019, Saivet made 29 appearances for Bursaspor, predominantly as an attacking midfielder, but scored only twice as they were relegated from the top flight. He returned to Tyneside and, despite interest from Turkey and France, failed to secure another move. With windows across Africa and the Middle East, including in Qatar and the UAE, still open, a loan move outside of Europe is improbable but not impossible.
Although Saivet was eligible to play in the Carabao Cup, Bruce opted not to use him. The midfielder has not appeared for the under-23 side, either. His last competitive game was that 75-minute appearance in the Africa Cup of Nations final in 2019. He remains an enigma. Despite his obvious struggles in Turkey, he is deemed creative enough to play as an attacking midfielder for a nation who boast forwards including Sadio Mane, Ismaila Sarr and M’Baye Naing. He has never been considered for such a role at Newcastle as he lacks the speed and guile to excel there. Rather, Saivet still seems to be regarded by them as a defensive midfielder, albeit one who is simply ill-suited to the pace and physicality of the Premier League.
Nearly four years on from a move Saivet admitted he never “planned” to make, a place on the bench is a distant dream. He is still at Newcastle, but finds himself a footballer who doesn’t actually play football.
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