Newcastle United carved an immediate return back to the Premier League in the grandest manner as they not only earned a direct ticket to the top flight but also clinched Championship silverware. Rafael Benitez masterminded the entire process for the promotion for the Magpies as he marshalled his troops in a meticulous manner and frankly speaking, the assets he had at his disposal worked perfectly fine, more often than not, under his tutelage.
However, Benitez isn’t unaware of the animosity which he would have to encounter in the upcoming season and to go toe-to-toe with the elite clubs of the country, he would have to bolster his squad and eradicate the loopholes.
Adding potent weapons to his attacking arsenal would hold paramount importance and one of the players who he should attempt to lure to St. James’ Park during the summer transfer window is Anderlecht winger Frank Acheampong.
Acheampong emerged through the youth ranks of King Faisal Babes and Berekum Chelsea and was then snapped up by the Thai side, Buriram United. Anderlecht’s offer to enable him to make a move to the Constant Vanden Stock Stadium in 2013 was too good to refuse and he quickly established himself as a wanted commodity for the Purple and White.
Apart from his domestic endeavours in the Belgian league, it was his 12 appearances in the Europa League this term, where the 23-year-old excelled, scoring three goals and registering two assists in 12 appearances, that drew a lot of attention from the football fraternity.
Acheampong offers the traits which are wanted in the modern day game, for he has the technical defensive edge and at the same time, he possesses immense physical strength as well as the stamina to toil up and down the flanks. Besides, he has the calibre of plying his trade as a left-back, left sided midfielder, central midfielder as well as a left winger, and thus, it goes without saying that he is pleasantly versatile and has the tendency to score goals too.
His contract expires in a couple of years and having earned notable experience at the club level football as well as with the Ghana national side, Acheampong would be a handy addition to the ranks of the Toons.
So far in his career, he has shown grit, confidence and resilience of catering to the defensive as well as the offensive aspects of his employers and with enough support from the former Real Madrid boss at Newcastle United, he could attract a wide scale of the limelight if he continues his stunning progress.
Statistics Credits: whoscored.com
