Chris Sutton has claimed that Newcastle United’s January signing, Bruno Guimarães, has been getting ‘rave reviews’, as he told BBC Radio 5 Live Sport.
The former striker thinks the Brazil midfielder is an ‘upgrade’ on what Newcastle already have.
In truth, it doesn’t say much because Newcastle’s midfield has been one of their biggest problems in recent years.
But with the arrival of Guimarães, the Toon Army faithful will be able to watch a player that is probably worthy of playing for a team in the Champions League right now.
Nonetheless, Sutton was full of praise for the business Newcastle conducted during the January transfer window, as he specifically praised Guimarães and Matt Targett.
“Are these players an upgrade on what they have? I think that they are,” said Sutton. “They are better with these players in the team.
“Does it guarantee Newcastle survival? Absolutely not. Trippier was a big deal. Chris Wood is a necessary signing. But you can’t say if you are a Newcastle fan that you are going to be overly excited about that.
“Guimarães seems to have had rave reviews and looks to be an upgrade. I like Targett, I have to say. I think he did pretty well at Aston Villa. But with Digne coming in, he wants to go and play.
“So, I think that is good business.”
The simple fact is that Newcastle needed to improve their squad that makes them better than their relegation rivals.
Forget about bringing in a player that has to be better than a player from the team sitting in seventh.
Are the likes of Kieran Trippier and Dan Burn better than players from Watford, Norwich, Burnley etc? The answer is yes.
And that’s all that matters because if Newcastle finish in 17th, then Eddie Howe has done his job and the club can then push forward towards bigger things.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
