The Newcastle fans in the Transfer Tavern are deeply concerned by the prospect of relegation this season.
The Toon Army in the Tavern have been impressed with their side’s improvement in recent weeks, but they acknowledge there is still plenty of work to do to preserve their top-flight status. Rafa Benitez has steered the ship in the right direction on Tyneside of late, despite having a squad that look desperately short of Premier League quality from back to front. Still, if Newcastle fail to improve the quality within the squad this month then The Magpies could well be set for an immediate return to The Championship.
With that being said, it is no wonder that Newcastle were recently linked with a move for Napoli goalkeeper Pepe Reina in The Sun.
The Spaniard previously worked under Benitez at Liverpool many years ago, but Newcastle’s manager must avoid feelings of romanticism and focus on financially wiser alternatives this month.
According to the report, Napoli are seeking in excess of £10 million for Reina’s services, which is more than the club currently have available to spend.
Newcastle’s main problem this season has been in-front of goal, so Benitez should be prioritising his January spending on attacking players rather than a new goalkeeper.
However, if Benitez is desperate to sign a new number one this month, he should consider rescuing the career of Joe Hart who is currently playing second-fiddle to Adrian at West Ham.
Hart is on loan at the club, but the arrangement seems rather pointless at this moment in time as neither club or player are currently benefiting from Hart’s presence at the club.
There is no doubt that Hart would move to Newcastle for first-team football in a heartbeat now that his place in Southgate’s World Cup squad is on the line, so Benitez should consider giving him one final chance to prove himself in the English top-flight with a January switch to St James’ Park.
Thoughts?
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