Newcastle United carved an immediate return back to the Premier League last season under the stewardship of Rafael Benitez. The Geordies kept hitting the right chords and thoroughly deserved to get the uplift, for they not only clinched an automatic promotion spot but also bagged the Championship silverware.
Frankly speaking, it was riveting to see them performing to their utmost potential and thus, it goes without saying that they would look to keep their status of being a Premier League side intact.
However, their life after promotion hasn’t dished out in an appealing manner, as they have collected merely 3 points from their first 3 league outings. They lost against Tottenham Hotspur and Huddersfield Town but did react strongly against West Ham United last weekend during their handsome 3-0 victory at St. James’ Park.
Despite his acquisitions, the former Napoli boss is still far from being a satisfied man and is apparently keen to bolster his defensive arsenal. If one of the latest reports is to be believed, the Toon have put Independiente’s sensational left-back Nicolas Tagliafico on their radar and are keen to wrap up a deal before the curtains of the summer transfer window fall.
Tagliafico has played at the various youth levels for Argentina and made his full debut in June this year against Brazil, apart from the decent experience he has accumulated under his belt so far in his career.
Paul Dummett is still sidelined owing to his injury, owing to which Benitez had to engineer Chancel Mbemba in the left-back slot against the Irons last weekend. However, it was noted that West Ham United harboured a lot on problems from their right side and Mbemba had a very tough time.
Keeping themselves in the safe zone initially would be the utmost priority for the Magpies and their inclination to make a late dash to sign the Argentine makes perfect sense.
Tagliafico is a highly rated defender who resembles a modern-day fullback, as we can see him galloping down the left flank to ignite his side’s attacking endeavours and then tracking back well to cater to his defensive duties.
He is an excellent crosser of the ball, links up well with his teammates and despite the fact that he has to acclimatize himself to English football if a move actually happens, he is a risk worth taking.
