Liverpool’s reported interest in Jamaal Lascelles could open the door to an upgrade on Fernando Torres for Newcastle United.
Monday brought about reports of Liverpool being interested in Newcastle United captain Jamaal Lascelles. The immediate reaction to that suggestion will have been quite a negative one from Newcastle fans – although it needn’t be all bad.
The club would likely be better off if it kept Lascelles – it’s unlikely that any would doubt that. The 24-year-old is the captain and, with a lot of luck, future of Newcastle United and it’s difficult to see a sale as progress.
Unfortunately for Newcastle, they’re no longer a club in a position to easily dismiss such offers for their players and, as we saw with Liverpool’s pursuit of Southampton’s Virgil van Dijk last summer, it can be beneficial to get these things sorted quickly.
But if an offer does come in, and Lascelles makes a desire to leave known, it doesn’t mean that Newcastle couldn’t use it to move forward – especially with Rafa Benitez’s apparent interest in Fernando Torres.
If it’s options up top you’re after, there are few better clubs to be doing business with than Liverpool; the Reds currently boast three talented strikers who they will be open to offers for this season.
Danny Ings, Daniel Sturridge, and Divock Origi are all talented footballers with something to prove, be it that they’ve still got what it takes at this level, that they can stay fit, or that they can still fulfil their great potential.
All three would surely be tempted by game time under a manager of Benitez’s stature and all Ings & Origi, in particular, would fit the manager’s system nicely with their pace and energy.
While there’s certainly no guarantee involved, they offer a much higher ceiling than Torres and are likely more attainable.
In his last full season, Ings managed 11 goals for Burnley in the Premier League – there’s every chance that Benitez can get that out of him and more.
If Liverpool are sitting down at the table anyway, why not see what you can get out of it? You might walk away with something special yourself.
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