Despite a demotion from the Premier League last season, Newcastle United didn’t let their spirits get diluted and have imposed themselves as a firm contender to get a direct ticket back to the top flight. Placed at the summit of the Sky Bet Championship table, the Geordies have found their stronghold on the English soil once again and have arguably been the best side in the second tier.
Nonetheless, the battle shall actually get more intense after their seemingly likely promotion as they would be facing all the animosity and challenges once again. Rafael Benitez knows that his side still needs a lot of amendments to bolster their arsenal and the summer transfer window shall play an instrumental role in dictating their whereabouts next season.
One of the quality signings which the Geordies could possibly make is by luring Jack Wilshere to St. James’ Park. Considering the plethora of stars in Arsenal’s jam-packed midfield setup, the English international was sent on loan to Bournemouth in the summer of 2016 and having impressed sporadically under the tutelage of Eddie Howe, he isn’t likely to be slotted into Arsenal’s tactical nous on a regular basis n next season.
Keeping the Wilshere fondness and love towards his boyhood club aside, he should be looking for regular first-team action week in and week out, and thus, he might be forced to vouch for an outlet in the summer. In a scenario like this, the Magpies could try to make him put pen to paper owing to the fact that he might just blossom once again whilst playing for a less demanding club like Newcastle United.
Under Benitez’s regime, the tactics of moving the ball around quickly in the middle of the park hold paramount importance and this is what Wilshere is renowned for doing. Physically strong, technically sharp and potentially quite amazing, he could prove to be an immediate upgrade over someone like Jack Colback at the heart of Benitez’s midfield or someone like Ayoze Perez in the no. 10 slot.
Of course, he has been overhyped in the past but let’s not undervalue the qualities he possesses. When on a song, Jacky Boy could carve numerous goal-scoring opportunities for his teammates, chip in with goals himself, dismantle the opponents’ defence with his tricky movements on and off the ball and has the requisite experience of Premier League as well. Frankly speaking, his form goes haywire at times, but if the Toons seize this opportunity and instil confidence back into him, he could be a massive boon for them.