Report
Newcastle United are chasing Atletico Madrid ace Kevin Gameiro.
Situation At Newcastle United
Newcastle United got off to a shaky start in the first few weeks of the season but slowly came back to their grind only to find themselves on the face of defeats in their last six games. They now stand twelfth on the table with fifteen points from fourteen games (they are currently chasing Chelsea 2-1 at Stamford Bridge)
On the transfer front, things have been very jittery and unplanned. Rafael Benitez has made no secret of the fact that Newcastle United need new faces. 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, Newcastle has had to deal with a stagnant squad and that has frustrated Benitez.
In the January transfer window, Benitez will look to go through with fresh transfer dealings to help his team improve.
Situation At Atletico Madrid
The rise of Atletico Madrid over the last few years has been accredited to the fact that they have in their dressing room, one of the finest managers of world football. Diego Simeone’s arrival at Atletico changed the club’s fortunes. From being an averagely good competitor they became equals of Real Madrid and Barcelona in fighting for domestic trophies. With two European cup finals and a La Liga to boot, Simeone’s team had declared their arrival on the world stage of football.
As is the case with every great team, there is always a focal point of attack; a striker who carries the team on his shoulders by scoring those all important goals. Not to diminish the significance of the players in other positions, but only by scoring goals can you win matches and trophies, such is the law of football and that is what makes the game of a striker all the more important.
Atletico has had a history of producing world-class strikers over the past decade or so and much of Simeone’s current success has been due to the excellence of Griezmann. The manager has produced a hard-hitting and battling side who refuse to concede goals but Griezmann adds that much-needed deftness and magic at the top which is required to complete the balance of the team and score the important goals for Atletico.
The trick to the Griezmann card, however, lies with the player feeding him the chances, Kevin Gameiro. Simeone has been quick to point out to everyone to look at the stats which clearly show the effect of Gameiro on Griezmann’s game. Gameiro is now as vital as Griezmann himself.
Should Gameiro Move?
Although it would be silly to leave Atletico, Gameiro must be wary of Costa being available from January onwards, who will surely start in the first team given the money they spent on him and the quality he brings to any team. In such a scenario, Gameiro may be forced to move, although he is sure to get better suitors than Newcastle United.
