Source: Daily_Mail
Newcastle flop Xisco moves to Racing Santander on one-year loan deal
Racing-bound: Xisco has signed for a Spanish side
Spanish misfit Xisco has agreed to join Racing Santander on loan after 12 miserable months at Newcastle.
The 23-year-old has clinched a season-long deal to return to his home country, subject to a medical. Xisco, a Spain Under 21 international, managed only nine senior appearances for Newcastle, five of them as a substitute, and scored just one goal.
That strike came in a 2-1 home defeat by Hull on September 13 last year, the day fans staged mass protests against owner Mike Ashley and his regime following Keegan's departure nine days earlier.
Keegan, who is still engaged in legal proceedings against the club over his exit, resigned in protest at the way the recruitment drive had been handled.
Having reluctantly agreed to James Milner's sale to Aston Villa, the manager was dismayed to see only Xisco and loan signing Ignacio Gonzalez arrive on the final day of the summer transfer window, neither with his approval.
Xisco is understood to have cost the Magpies around £6million, and was handed a five-year, £50,000-a-week contract, while Gonzalez, who was injured for most of his time on Tyneside, made only two appearances as a substitute. Keegan's concerns about the squad assembled under the leadership of now departed executive director of football Dennis Wise proved well founded, and when Shay Given and Charles N'Zogbia left in January it was weakened further.
The team were relegated in depressing style from the Premier League at the end of last season, a fall from grace which has sparked a mass exodus.
Since the end of that disastrous campaign, Obafemi Martins, Sebastien Bassong, Habib Beye and Damien Duff have been sold, Michael Owen, Mark Viduka, Claudio Cacapa, David Edgar, Peter Lovenkrands and Gonzalez have left after their contracts expired, and young goalkeeper Fraser Forster and now Xisco have gone out on loan.
Only Manchester United full-back Danny Simpson has joined on loan to date, although Lovenkrands is expected to return before Tuesday's transfer deadline.
