Things appear to have hit a new block at St. James’ Park despite the January transfer window getting over. Reports have confirmed that Newcastle United were hoping to complete a deal for Croatian playmaker Lovro Majer. The two clubs, however, failed to agree a deal for the young talent and the transfer never transpired.
Newcastle were reportedly ready to offer an amount between £13.3 million to £16 million which clearly was not enough for NK Lokomotiva and the player will now stay in Croatia at least till the next transfer window.
The playmaker has already made his debut for the national team of Croatia and is expected to have a top billing in his future. The highly-rated playmaker has scored 7 goals and set up three more in 20 games this season. He would have definitely added more creativity and guile to the Newcastle side lacking in flair. However, with the window now over, Newcastle will hope to last out this season in the Premier League and try to rope in the youngster next time.
Newcastle United’s return to the top flight of English football has not gone according to plan. The Magpies endured a mixed start to their campaign in England’s top league. Their latest slump has seen Newcastle slide down again. They now stand 15th in 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.
The biggest problem at Tyneside however, remains with the growing conflict between the owner and the club. Mike Ashley has been extremely strict with his budget handling and with the owner unable to sell the club to a new investor, such budget constraints are expected to continue.
In light of such events, Benitez will know that he will not have a large fund to work with and will have to plan his new signings perfectly in the future if he wishes to bolster his squad in every department.
