According to reports, Newcastle United were keen on getting in Hull City’s Abel Hernandez this summer with Rafael Benitez sanctioning a desperate search for strikers in the ending few weeks of the recently concluded transfer window. However, a long-term injury to the Uruguayan striker led the Mags to call it off midway.
Newcastle United are yet to get one striker this season and Benitez, in all probability, will be revisiting Hernandez again in the winter when the season takes a bit more shape for the Magpies. After a horrible start to the campaign, where Newcastle United saw themselves outplayed by the likes of Tottenham Hotspur and Huddersfield Town in the Premier League and Nottingham Forest in the EFL Cup, Benitez’s men went into the international break with a comfortable 3-0 win over West Ham United.
And while the prolific form of Joselu and Aleksandr Mitrovic might appease fans at the moment, the experienced gaffer knows very well that he would be needing more options up front with the passage of the season. Newcastle’s failed transfer window has been the talk of the town for weeks with the disagreement between the manager and owner Mike Ashley now publicly known.
Despite getting in seven new faces, Benitez has been dissatisfied with the kind of business the Mags have done. Further arrivals would stem from the sale of some players as Newcastle wait for the winter transfer window. Hernandez’s agent, Arnau Puigmal, has revealed to Italian news outlet, Tuttomercatoweb that the striker was of interest to Newcastle United along with Championship sides Aston Villa and Birmingham City.
He said, “He had an important market, strong interest from Aston Villa and Birmingham, they wanted him at all costs, and there was also a chance to go to Newcastle. It’s a bad thing, but football is the way it is, Abel has the strength and is young, he will be back.”
The 27-year-old South American was brought into English Premier League from Serie A side Palermo by the Tigers back in 2014 when they had gained promotion. Hernandez was a star in Italy scoring 36 goals in 122 games for the Sicilians and was expected to make an immediate impact in England.
However, his first season was a nightmare where he managed to score just four goals in 26 league games. Hull were relegated and Hernandez came back to life where he managed to get in 20 goals in 39 appearances in the Championship, helping Hull to gain promotion yet again. However, his form dipped again in the top flight and a long-term injury saw him out for most of the season.
He could score just four times yet again as the Tigers were again relegated. His scoring abilities are undeniable and with quality players around him, Hernandez could really flourish in St. James’ Park.
