Newcastle United have been linked with a move for former midfielder Mehdi Abeid as they look to rebuild the squad.
The Chronicle reported that Greek side Panathinaikos were ready to sell the Lens trainee after he enjoyed a fine season with them.
In 34 appearances, Abeid scored four times, and now manager Rafa Benitez is considering bringing the Algerian international back to St. James' Park.
While this is all well and good, it shows United made a mistake letting him go in the first place - and that they should have shown more patience with a player who has just starting to find his feet.
After spending time away from Tyneside on loan, initially with St. Johnstone in Scotland and then the Super League side, it looked like Abeid would be ready to compete for a place in the first team.
Indeed, his performance against Liverpool got a lot of the Geordie nation excited - but as the relegation battle closed in John Carver trusted Abeid less and less. Newcastle survived that season, but who can tell if the result would have been different had the youngster been included in more fixtures?
After just 13 Premier League appearances, his former club came swooping and the Magpies let Abeid depart, and now it looks like their top brass are regretting that decision.
If Cheick Tiote and Jack Colback leave Tyneside during the summer transfer window, the Algerian will be exactly what is needed in the middle of the park. He has played to a high level, has been recalled to his national side and is still young enough to develop.
Abeid can play the tough tackling, disruptive role that Tiote and Colback have made their own, but the statistics show he can also break forward and find the back of the net every so often - which is one thing Newcastle really lacked during their relegation campaign.
The decision to let the midfielder leave has ultimately proven to be short sighted. Whether or not the club wanted it to happen, Abeid moved on and that's the end of the matter. Hopefully, this mistake will encourage Graham Carr and the management to give youngsters a bit longer before they are discarded.