Rafa Revolution Rumbles on With Long-Serving Cheick Tioté Slated to Leave Newcastle

Now is the right time for Newcastle United to let midfielder CheickTiotéleave the club, after transfer interest fromAl Jazira.

Sky Sportshave reported that theAbu Dhabi side have made an offer for the 30-year-old, who only has one more year left on his contract.

If there was ever the perfect moment to let the long-serving defensive player depart Tyneside, it is now, as Toon manager Rafa Benitez tries to build a team that can be successful for the Magpies in the long-term.

Tiotéhas been an excellent servant to the club since Alan Pardew signed the Ivorian in 2010 from Dutch sideFC Twente - where he was actually managed by United flop Steve McClaren.

In the following five years, he made138 Premier League appearances and was courted by the likes of Chelsea and Arsenal after an accomplishedfirst season in the Englishtop flight.

But following that fantastic 2010/2011 campaign, the 55-cap international has had a mixed time of it on Tyneside - and when his concentration and desire dipped, so did his performance levels. Three injuries over the last two seasons have also causedTioté to miss a number of games, which also had an impact on hisconsistencyof performances.

Despite this, there was no natural successor to the Ivorian in the squad, especially when youngster Mehdi Abeid was sold to Greek sidePanathinaikos in August 2015 - but the signing of Isaac Hayden from Arsenal has remedied that problem.

Hayden is a versatile footballer, but while on loan with Hull City he was played as a defensive midfielder, and it's clear from the pre-season fixtures that Benitez feels this is his best position as well.

The 21-year-old left the Gunners to get more senior football, and it certainly seems like the Spaniard rates him highly and is building up to including him in the match day squad against Fulham.

Tiote has played well for Newcastle, but has been agitating for a move. Now is the time to give him that move, before he leaves for free next season, and hand Hayden the game time he needs to improve and evolve as a player.

If this deal happens, it will be with one eye on the future of the club - and that can only be a good thing.