Achraf Lazaar spent over four years at Newcastle United between the summer of 2016 and February 2021.
Rafael Benítez was in charge of the Tyneside club when the 30-year-old arrived at St James’ Park from Palermo.
The left-back’s performances for the Italian club attracted interest from Newcastle and a few other clubs before the Magpies won the battle.
Gianluca Di Marzio interviewed the Moroccan, who revealed that he came close to joining Fiorentina before sealing a move to Newcastle. He also explained why he turned down the Serie A side.
The defender’s decision to snub Fiorentina in favour of the English club did not pay off, however.
Lazaar wasn’t able to enjoy regular minutes at Newcastle as he only went on to make 10 appearances in all competitions for the Premier League club.
As a result, the Magpies also sent him out on loan to Benevento, Sheffield Wednesday and Cosenza during his time at the club before releasing him on a free in February 2021, when he spent seven days as a free agent before being snapped up by Watford.
