On-loan Chelsea winger Christian Atsu has been backed to continue his fine form with Newcastle by teammate Matt Ritchie, with the Toon looking to keep the attacker on a permanent basis according to the Chronicle.
Since arriving at Stamford Bridge in August 2013 from Porto in a £2.5m deal, Atsu has failed to make a single first-team appearance for Chelsea in the three years since.
During that period, the 24-year-old has had loan spells with Vitesse Arnhem, Everton, Bournemouth and Malaga before again being shipped out on a temporary basis to the North East with Newcastle.
While those previous loan spells have been unsuccessful for the Ghanaian who has 45 international caps under his belt, this time around at Newcastle he’s hitting his top form and is impressing fans and teammates alike.
Matt Ritchie, who joined Newcastle from Bournemouth in the summer, played with Atsu at the Vitality Stadium last season and believes Atsu will be a key player for Newcastle this season.
“I’ve played with Chrissy a few times. He came on loan to Bournemouth last season and he didn’t really get much a chance to be honest because we were doing so well. He’s a fantastic player – he’s only young.
“He’s been on a few loans, he went to Everton as well, and you don’t go to those kind of clubs if you haven’t got something about you. He hasn’t always played but against Preston he was fantastic – he hit the post and the bar with a couple of efforts.
“He’s quick, he’s sharp, he’s lively and he’s got a great work ethic as well. I’m sure that he’ll have a big part to play this season.”
The Chronicle believe Newcastle are considering a permanent move for the busy winger if he continues his fine form throughout the season.
