Newcastle United reportedly want to sign PSG’s French international goalkeeper Alphonse Areola on loan.
Rafael Benitez’s frustration at the slow pace of Newcastle United’s transfer business was not aided by the club’s failure to reinforce a position he had made a priority this summer.
Despite putting Tim Krul and Karl Darlow up for sale, the Magpies failed to secure a new goalkeeper despite being linked with almost every talented glovesman under the sun from Pepe Reina to Wayne Hennessey.
And The Sun reports that Newcastle are not ready to accept defeat just yet with Paris Saint-Germain shot-stopper Alphonse Areola a loan target for both the Tyneside club and Crystal Palace, who were also unable to reinforce their goalkeeping ranks over the summer.
Areola is France’s third choice ‘keeper at present but has struggled to displace Kevin Trapp at PSG, meaning he could be on the lookout for guaranteed first-team football with the World Cup on the horizon.
The question, however, is whether Newcastle even need to continue searching for a new ‘keeper. After all, the impressive performances of Rob Elliot in the opening weeks of the new season suggest that the issue is not quite as pressing as it was a few weeks ago.
Elliot, who recovered from a cruciate ligament injury in the spring, has started all of Newcastle’s Premier League fixtures so far and has played as crucial a role in their three-game winning streak as anyone.
After impressing against West Ham and Swansea, the former Charlton Athletic number one was solid between the sticks again as Benitez’s side moved up to fourth in the table with a 2-1 win against Stoke City on Saturday.
Xherdan Shaqiri’s well-placed long-ranger is the only shot to have beaten Elliot in the last three games. Therefore, it would seem a little unfair to replace him with a bigger name if he continues in his current vein of form.
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