Newcastle United endured a mixed start to their campaign in England’s top league. After a quick start, Newcastle United flopped and their loss in form saw them sink to the lower end of the table. They managed to pause their slump and hold their form, something which saw the club move back to a respectable position in the league. But another slump saw Newcastle slide down again. They now stand 15th on the table and have collected just 10 of their last 45 available points.
On the transfer front, things have been very jittery and unplanned. 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. With the January transfer window now open, Benitez will look to go through with fresh transfer dealings to help his team improve.
One striker who has been linked with a move to the Magpies is Atletico Madrid forward Kevin Gameiro. Gameiro’s importance as a striker has been subdued due to the presence of the world-class Griezmann.
Atletico Madrid 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, or in other words Kevin Gameiro. It is easy to notice the effect of Gameiro on Griezmann’s game. In the last six months, Gameiro had become as vital as Griezmann himself.
Although it would be silly to leave Atletico, Gameiro must be wary of Costa being eligible now that January is here. The Spaniard will surely play as a first team player 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.
However, with game time hard to come by despite being so important in their team, reports are now coming that Newcastle is ready to swoop in for the striker. He has scored 22 goals in 66 games for the club despite being majorly used as an impact substitute for the better part of his Atletico career.
