Newcastle United had a bad start to their Championship campaign of this season with two losses in their first two games against Fulham and Huddersfield. It was very surprising given that Newcastle are amongst the favourites to win the Championship of this season. Normalcy was restored with an emphatic 4-1 victory against Reading in their third league game, since then, the Magpies have had four consecutive victories. Of those four wins, three were in the Championship and the other was in the second round of the Football League Cup. It seems now that the team has found its momentum and the manager is doing his best to cover all the angles as well by remaining very active still in the transfer market.
In order to cope with the marathon Championship season, the primary thing to have in your squad is depth and then it’s about the quality and endurance. Rafa Benitez has concentrated in making sure that the team has a squad big enough to deal with the exertions of the Championship while having the quality to secure a top two finish. According to latest reports, the Magpies are close to securing a double deal.
Ipswich’s 33-year-old striker Daryl Murphy is the one who has already joined the Tyneside club. The reported fullback close to joining Benitez’s side is Achraf Lazaar. Lazaar currently plays for Serie A side Palermo.
Newcastle have brought in a good number of players in the summer and Dwight Gayle is one of those who can play as a centre-forward. The inclusion of Murphy would be hugely beneficial for the team given his experience. The 33-year-old spent the majority of his career in the 2nd division and is an experienced goal-scorer having scored 67 goals for his current club Ipswich in the five seasons he has spent with them.
The forward can play as a striker or as a winger and is a considerable threat in the set pieces with his 6ft 3 in frame and will be a good back-up for Gayle. On the other hand, Achraf Lazaar is another player who has versatility. The fullback can also play as a midfielder and was linked with West Ham earlier in the summer. Lazaar is a decent player who is a full-fledged international for Morocco and would be an excellent addition to the squad.
The two deals are looking very likely to happen at the moment and when they are done the Magpies would become more capable of mounting a challenge in the other competitions other than the Championship as well. With momentum on the pitch and depth in their ranks, Newcastle are looking the safest bet to have a great season in the 2nd division and bounce straight back into the Premier League just as they did before.
