Newcastle United continue their hunt for the perfect players this summer and have now entered the race to land Belgian league’s ace full-back, Clinton Mata. The Angolan international has come to the fore following some exceptional displays on the right flank for Jupiler Pro League’s RSC Charleroi and is fast becoming a household name.
After securing a permanent deal for their impressive midfielder, Christian Atsu, from newly-crowned Premier League Champions, Chelsea, Rafael Benitez has wasted no time in moving on to the next target. It was the Spaniard’s quick and calculated shopping last summer that transformed Newcastle United into a perfect squad before they kicked off the Championship winning season.
And he plans to do something similar this summer as well. But, things will be a tad difficult this time, owing to their ‘newly-promoted’ stature in the Premier League. Despite having a strong financial backing, the Magpies might no more hold the same stature in the Premier League as Everton, West Ham United, Leicester City or even Bournemouth.
However, Benitez is a shrewd candidate having spent considerable time with Liverpool and Chelsea at the top level, and he will definitely try to find a way out. The right-back’s role has been a bit of crisis for Newcastle now as Benitez has Vurnon Anita’s contract coming to an end this season. The Dutch right-back hasn’t shown much of a potential for the Magpies to keep him and the exciting recruit of Jesus Gamez from Atletico Madrid didn’t turn out to be a success either.
With DeAndre Yedlin as their first-choice, Newcastle United need someone who could step up when needed. And Mata fits the bill quite perfectly given his offensive and defensive attributes. A right-back by nature, the 24-year-old can also play on the wings with equal ease. His impressive performances have helped him to be capped six times by the national team as well.
An academy product of KAS Eupen, Charleroi picked him up the summer of 2014 and he has played a crucial part for the side since then. He also helped the club to finish in a surprising sixth position this season. His impressive dribbling skills and perfectly timed tackles will surely be an upgrade for Newcastle United, but a deal won’t be that easy.
As per reports, the Magpies have to fight with numerous clubs to land the in-demand right-back. His prominent suitors include Bundesliga giants Borussia Dortmund, La Liga side Valencia, new Ligue 1 Champions AS Monaco, Eredivisie champions Feyenoord, and other clubs like Nice, Marseille, Ghent, Genk and Anderlecht. So Rafa has to act quickly.
