Newcastle United cult heroes available on free transfers after major injury setbacks
Two Newcastle United cult heroes are still looking for new clubs following major injury setbacks.
Former Newcastle United defenders Emil Krafth and Jamaal Lascelles remain without a club after officially leaving St James’ Park this year.
Lascelles joined Leicester City on a short-term contract in February but was released at the end of the 2025/26 campaign following the Foxes’ relegation to League One. The 32-year-old centre-back didn’t take a pay cut to join Leicester City and was among the higher-earning players in the Championship but was unable to help them avoid relegation in his nine first-team appearances.
Lascelles spent 12 years at Newcastle but found game time hard to come by following an ACL injury in March 2024, which proved to be his last competitive start for the club.
Jamaal Lascelles
He remains a highly-respected figure on Tyneside having played 177 times in the Premier League for Newcastle as well as captaining the club in the Champions League and lifting the Carabao Cup alongside Bruno Guimaraes and Kieran Trippier last year.
Lascelles boasts a strong CV and, at 32, is still of an age where he could continue playing. However, his ACL injury and subsequent fitness issues may have called time on his career at the top level, at least. He was linked with a move to Championship side Watford late in the summer transfer window.
Emil Krafth
Another player who saw injuries dominate his final years at Newcastle was Krafth. The Swedish defender also suffered an ACL injury in August 2022 and struggled for first-team football ever since. The emergence of Kieran Trippier and Tino Livramento during Krafth’s time on the sidelines largely limited him to substitute appearances.
Last season, Krafth made just three appearances in all competitions before suffering what proved to be another serious knee injury last November, which ended his campaign early and denied him a spot at the 2026 World Cup with Sweden.
NewcastleWorld understands that Krafth’s injury has been a significant factor in him failing to find a new club as a free agent. He had previously been linked with a return to Sweden.
In a world of strict football financial regulations, having experienced players such as Krafth and Lascelles earning significant wages and not playing was viewed as a problem internally at Newcastle before both players ultimately left the club for nothing.
Max Thompson is another player released by Newcastle in the summer yet to find a new club. The 22-year-old goalkeeper spent the second half of last season on loan at Ayr United in Scotland and has previously spent time at Chesterfield and Northampton Town on loan.