Newcastle United supporters in the Transfer Tavern are very much looking forward to the new Premier League season, what with it looking likely that manager Rafa Benitez will stay at the football club.
The former Chelsea and Liverpool boss masterminded a sensational tenth place finish in the top-flight this term upon their return to England’s elite, little over 12 months on from winning the Championship title. But having done so with little financial backing, and question marks over whether funds would be available this summer, there were some concerns among our resident Magpies supporters that Benitez could leave during the close season, with West Ham one vacancy he was linked with.
However, Manuel Pellegrini has taken over at the London Stadium to the delight of Newcastle fans in the Tavern, who are now turning their attentions to the transfer window and as such will likely be intrigued by recent reports suggesting that they are unlikely to target Aston Villa’s Jack Grealish.
Yet Benitez and managing director Lee Charnley simply must re-consider their transfer plans by moving for the £4.5 million-rated youngster (as per Transfermarkt), as doing so would surely give them an upgrade on Ayoze Perez.
Ultimately, 24-year-old Perez deserves credit for a solid second half of the season for the Magpies, with the Spaniard eventually finishing the campaign with ten goals for the club, the most of any Newcastle player this term.
However, there are still question marks among many of our resident Magpies fans over whether Perez is indeed the long-term solution to the number ten conundrum, given he arguably offers more defensively than he does in the final third of the pitch.
And with the 24-year-old not necessarily having that keen eye for a pass and positional awareness to regularly create in that role, Benitez could well be looking to strengthen that position – it has already been speculated upon that the Newcastle boss is looking at number tens.
And Villa’s Grealish could well be the man to fill that gap and thus help take the North East heavyweights forward in years to come.
Ultimately, the 22-year-old enjoyed the best season of his career to date at Villa Park this time round with three goals and six assists, helping Steve Bruce’s men to the Championship play-off final although he was unable to inspire them to victory over Fulham at Wembley, despite performing better than every other Villa player on the day.
It appears that the former England Under-21 international has developed a maturity this season which suggests that he could make the grade at Premier League level at long last, with the attacker possessing that kind of creative flair which could do damage in the top tier.
And while at the age of 22 he can still improve, specifically by adding more goals and assists to his name, it’s arguable that he possesses more potential and talent that Newcastle’s Perez, and as such would surely be a better long-term option and thus upgrade on the Spaniard.
And with Villa needing to sell this summer amid financial difficulties, Benitez and Charnley should remain in the hunt for Grealish, as his addition would undoubtedly add a great deal to the Magpies attacking ranks next term.
Newcastle fans… what do you think? Let us know!
