Newcastle United supporters in the Transfer Tavern are very much looking forward to the 2018/19 Premier League season, what with their club seeking to build upon their impressive tenth place finish last time round.
Rafa Benitez’s men deserve enormous credit for sealing a top half finish upon their return to the English top-flight last season, what with it just 12 months earlier in which they won the Championship title. Yet it’s pretty evident based on their limitations last season that reinforcements will be needed over the summer if the Spaniard is to indeed take the North East giants forward this term, and perhaps back towards their former glories in years to come.
Subsequently, there are many excited Newcastle fans up and down the country, several of whom reckon that their side could well challenge for the European spots this term if they do indeed get the final few weeks of the transfer window right.
The Magpies have so far managed just three additions to their squad with two of them in the form of Martin Dubravka and Kenedy having excelled on loan last term, but it’s also imperative that they retain some of their most prized assets to really make ground this season.
In fact, if Newcastle do indeed retain these TWO lynchpins beyond the August 9 deadline, they could well challenge for Europe this term…
Very few players in that Newcastle squad can say they played as big a part in keeping the club in the Premier League as captain Jamaal Lascelles, who led by example brilliantly throughout the season.
The 24-year-old appeared in 33 of the Magpies 38 Premier League games last season and missed the other five only as a result of injury, with the centre back producing the goods in both boxes be it netting crucial goals in one, or indeed making telling defensive contributions in the other.
And as the club’s captain, Lascelles will continue to play a huge part in the success under Benitez in the years to come, which is why they absolutely must retain the defender amid reported interest from sides higher up the Premier League table.
Like Lascelles, midfielder Jonjo Shelvey was hugely influential in helping Newcastle finish tenth in the Premier League last term, and perhaps a touch unfortunate not to make England’s World Cup squad such were his efforts.
The 26-year-old may well have started the season poorly in getting sent off against Tottenham on the opening day, but the Englishman hit back to score once and lay on three assists in 30 appearances for the Magpies, all four contributions of which coming in the final two months of the season.
Ultimately, there is not another midfield player at the club like Shelvey, whose vision and eye for a pass are second-to-none, and while West Ham have been linked with the 26-year-old in recent times, Benitez must do all he can to retain the midfielder beyond the August 9 deadline.
