Newcastle United supporters have been pretty deflated in the Transfer Tavern in recent times after seeing their side extend their winless Premier League run to six matches courtesy of a 3-1 defeat against champions Chelsea on Saturday.
Rafa Benitez’s men made a fine start to life back in the top tier of English football by winning four of their opening nine games, yet things have taken a turn for the worse since then. And although they took the lead at Stamford Bridge on Saturday through Dwight Gayle, that was as good as it got for the Magpies as a brace from Eden Hazard alongside an Alvaro Morata header sealed the three points for Antonio Conte’s side, in turn picking up a tenth league win of the campaign, as well as instigating Newcastle’s concerning fall to 15th in the Premier League table.
Subsequently, there have been many despondent and worried Magpies fans in the Tavern in recent days, many of whom are wondering where it has all gone wrong for their side following a solid start to the campaign.
Several of our resident Newcastle fans have pinpointed their team’s goal-scoring woes as the chief issue, having scored just 14 times in 15 league games, so reports that they are interested in Besiktas’ free-scoring sensation Cenk Tosun are hardly surprising.
However, recent reports suggest that the Turkish giants want €100 million for the 26-year-old, all but pricing Newcastle out of the running, and as such leaving Benitez with much to ponder ahead of the January window.
Nonetheless, the Magpies must forget about a move for Tosun by stepping up their efforts to land Leicester City outcast Islam Slimani, who could be exactly the sort of striker who could banish their woes in the attacking third of the field.
The 29-year-old has struggled for regular gametime at the King Power Stadium such has been the decent form of fellow forward Jamie Vardy, yet he has the power and strength, alongside a proven eye for goal, to suggest that he’d be an upgrade on Newcastle’s current first choice striker, Joselu.
The former Stoke City man has led Benitez’s line for much of the campaign so far but has repeatedly been guilty of missing golden opportunities, and although Slimani is not the most prolific goal-scorer, he did bag seven times for the Foxes last term, and overall has 12 goals and six assists in 41 appearances for the club.
Add that to his tally of 57 goals in 111 games for Sporting Lisbon, and Slimani certainly knows where the goal is.
And given Newcastle’s strengths from the wide areas, notably the delivery, be it in open play or from a set-play, of Matt Ritchie, Slimani has the aerial presence to cause serious issues in the opposition box, while also possessing the strength to hold the ball up and bring others into play – he could be the ideal strike partner for Gayle, who is arguably the best finisher at the football club.
Clearly, with just 14 goals in 15 games so far, Benitez must address the striking issues at St James’ Park in January. Gayle is a good finisher but ultimately offers little else, while Joselu offers more as an all round forward, but his finishing is very questionable.
Yet landing Slimani from Leicester would provide the Magpies with someone adept in front of goal as well as solid as an all round forward, so Benitez must forget about Tosun and instead focus all his energies on getting a deal done for the £22.5 million-rated Foxes forward (as per Transfermarkt) in January.
Newcastle fans… what do you think? Let us know!
