SUPERMAC
MITRO AND jOSELU cAN GO TO bOOST TRANSFER FUNDS
SO the transfer window is to swing open in the next 48 hours and, like all Newcastle fans, I’m desperate for the club to sign a striker.
I’ve a particular interest, having been privileged to wear the black-and-white striped No 9 shirt for so long.
What would I do? Be ruthless, which I know Rafa Benitez can be.
I would clear the decks to help raise money and be ready for a good quality goalscorer to come in.
That, for me, wouldn’t mean selling Dwight Gayle, who many clubs would take, but getting rid of Aleksandar Mitrovic and Joselu instead.
Gayle is the only front man currently on the books who has regular goals in him and as a consequence is far too valuable in a relegation scrap.
The other two, by comparison, don’t score enough goals.
Mitrovic realises the situation and wants to go. Fair enough, let’s see what United can get for him.
As for Joselu, he’s done his job as a £5m makeweight by getting Newcastle through the first half of the season until new reinforcements can be brought in.
The lad has no pace and no real threat.
If United were to play the way they did against Manchester City the one thing they required more than any other was a player up top who could hold the ball up, allowing defenders to get a rest and push a little upfield. However Joselu, selected ahead of Gayle, couldn’t give his back line a breather and didn’t have the pace to chase anything that wasn’t to feet.
United’s only threat came when Gayle went on with his movement and eye for an opportunity.
The two big questions, of course, are which clubs, if any, will take Mitrovic and Joselu and who of a good enough quality will be prepared to join a relegation fight at SJP even if his current club will let him go.
I don’t expect Rafa to sell Joselu for one moment. He appears to be a real favourite of the manager, even when he is chopping and changing his side.
I’m just talking about what I would do as an ex-striker myself.
Brighton, who are here this afternoon, are also in the market for a striker, as a lot of clubs are, so it is going to be a right bun fight.
It’ll be a right fight for three points too. The onus is on Newcastle, whereas it was on Man City on Wednesday.
Can United cope when they must be positive rather than reactive? I cannot emphasise enough how important the next three PL matches are with them being against Brighton, Stoke, and Swansea – all in a relegation fight alongside United. These are sixpointers whereas City were viewed as a knocking bet for another win.
Newcastle were great at West Ham. Now they must do it three more times.