£15m Newcastle United flop returns to Tyneside after latest loan ends early through injury - What next?

Newcastle United are set to have another chunk of the wage bill needlessly taken up for the remainder of the season after loanee returns home early.

Jamal Lewis, the £15 million signing from Norwich City, is definitely one of those signings that can be referred to as a flop.

Arriving amid a tonne of praise about his potential, the Northern Ireland international never really showed any signs of that promise whenever he turned out for the Magpies.

Eddie Howe kept trying to get the best out of him, which he has managed to do for so many other players, but when it came to selecting his squads, Lewis would never make the grade indicating that his best chance at reviving his career was elsewhere.

Sao Paulo have ended Jamal Lewis' loan early due to injury

Unfortunately, as a Mike Ashley signing, Lewis is on wages way above his worth and that has posed a problem when trying to move him on.

However, this season, the final one of his contract, we thought we'd managed to offload him until the summer when he'd then become a free agent when Brazilian side Sao Paulo took him on loan.

Now, just half way through his season-long loan spell, the 26-year-old is heading back to Newcastle after picking up a serious injury that would see him ruled out for much of Sao Paolo's campaign, allowing them to terminate the loan early.

Jamal Lewis could look for a Championship club in the summer to revive his career

This means that Newcastle are now responsible for 100% of Lewis' wages for the remainder of his contract despite the fact that he's almost definitely not going to play for the club again.

He may get a couple of runouts in the reserves when he returns to fitness, which should help him find a new club in the summer, but his Newcastle career is effectively over.

A drop down into the Championship may be the best move for Lewis, that's where he showed that raw potential that caught Newcastle's eye back in 2020. We hope he can recover from this injury and get his career back on track, but, you know, not here. Sorry.