Club signing improved Atsu is a no-brainer
SIGNING Christian Atsu is a no-brainer to me.
The winger is a good fit at Newcastle United.
A couple of months ago I criticised the Ghanaian a little. I said I was impressed with his pace and trickery – but he needed to added goals to his game. That his finishing wasn’t good enough.
He has done that in recent weeks.
That free-kick at Cardiff was sublime, and he also scored at an important time against Preston too.
The thing I like most about Atsu is that he is quick.
Pace is a dangerous thing, and defenders hate it.
When he really gets going, the winger is very hard to stop.
At 25, his best years are still ahead of him and he can get better too.
That’s one of the things Rafa Benitez will have seen this year. He’ll have seen the improvement, and Rafa will be confident that, with more time coaching Atsu, the winger will only get better.
What I think is crucial is that Atsu has had a year at Newcastle. Rafa already knows the type of personality he is. Clearly, Rafa likes him, and he will not upset the group.
You look around the current market, and if the deal is £6.5m as reported, that’s a decent value for Atsu in my opinion.
The player himself also has something to prove.
Failed spells at Bournemouth and Everton suggest to me that he has unfinished business in the Premier League.
He wants to prove he can hack it in the top flight and that he should have been given a chance at Chelsea.
I expect him to step up to the plate, kick on and prove he is a genuine Premier League player.
He’s improved his finishing in recent months. If he keeps on working on his game I think he has a good future ahead of him.
I’m glad to see players are getting brought in early, as that will give Rafa a full pre-season programme to work with them. There’ll be less disruption that way.
Hopefully, this is that start of a very busy summer.