Rumours of late, have been linking newly promoted side Newcastle United with a move for Brentford striker Jota as Rafael Benitez continues his search for striking reinforcements before kicking off next season. The Spanish striker has been a surprise candidate in the transfer market this summer following a phenomenal second half display in the last season and helped the Bees to a decent 10th place finish in the Championship.
Newcastle United have enjoyed an unhindered scoring rate in the Championship last season, which saw all their forwards- Dwight Gayle, Ayoze Perez, Aleksandar Mitrovic and Daryl Murphy – scoring with extreme ease. The Magpies ended the season in the first position with 85 goals in the bag.
However, with Premier League survival on the cards next, the challenge would be extremely difficult for the players to take on. And a closer look at the club’s top scorer, Dwight Gayle’s previous stint in the Premier League clearly proves it. The English forward, who scored 23 goals in 32 games last season, had managed only 15 goals for Crystal Palace in a staggering 64 games over three seasons, and ultimately getting sold.
The other striking options of Mitrovic and Murphy haven’t fared any better. While the Serbian’s 2015 campaign with the Magpies ended in relegation with him scoring only nine goals in 34 Premier League games, 34-year-old Murphy last played in English top-flight football back in 2009. The need for a proper striker is imperative for Benitez now, which makes Jota’s interest all the more intriguing.
The Spaniard made a dramatic rise in his professional career last season after quite an underwhelming start to his season in England back in 2014. The Championship club bought him from La Liga side Celta de Vigo when he was 22. But, the hyped move, which was followed by a decent run under former manager Mark Warburton, soon fizzled out as the player felt unsettled at the club for familial reasons.
The Bees decided to let him go on a loan move to SD Eibar for eighteen months then, but he could manage only 18 games in two seasons. Brentford had to call him back as they were convinced of his potential owing to his previous stint at the club, where had managed 11 goals in a season.
And their decision paid off, with the player getting 12 goals and five assists in the last 19 games of the season. He could be another one season wonder for sure, but Benitez has nurtured some of the best Spanish players over the year and if he is willing to get him, he sure is special.
