Newcastle United did not have a good first few weeks in the season but then slowly came back to their grind. They were on the seventh spot after nine gameweeks but three defeats in a row including yesterday’s drubbing at the hands of Manchester United have left them slipping down and they now stand eleventh on the table with fourteen points from twelve games.
They had won five and drawn two of their last ten games before losing three on the trot, as they adjust to the topsy-turvy nature of the Premier League.
On the transfer front, things have failed horribly and Rafael Benitez has made no secret of the fact that Newcastle United need new players. After a very impressive season in the Championships that saw Newcastle return to the Premier League, Benitez demanded more signings of Premier League standard to establish the club in England’s premier competition.
However, with Newcastle unable to sell their existing crop of players, the purse stringent owner of the club was not able to make funds available and Newcastle has had to deal with a stagnant squad frustrating Benitez. Come the January transfer window, Benitez has made it clear that he wants reinforcements to his squad.
It is now being reported that Newcastle United are being linked with a move for Everton’s loaned out forward Henry Chukwuemeka Onyekuru. The Nigerian international can play as an out and out forward and on either wing depending on the team’s requirement. He has been in excellent form for Belgian side Anderlecht, where he is on loan this season and the 20-year old already has eight goals to his name.
The move might be good for Benitez’s side though, who are slowly finding their feet in the big league and will want to cash in on the momentum by bringing in an in-form striker, especially given their forwards dry run in front of goal.
However, the forward is only 20 years old and just signed a long contract with Everton this summer before he left on loan. So exactly how much will they need to spend on transfer and wages for a player of his quality given his age might convince them against the move. Moreover, with Benitez angling for moves in other positions, it would not make much sense for him to spend so much in one position.
For Newcastle, if they get the player, he will be a valuable addition to the squad for the future. The Newcastle faithful will, however, have to be patient and must not hope that a 20-year old, who has been playing in Belgium, to come to their club and hit the ground running, especially given the intensity of English top flight football.
