The prospect of Rafa Benitez linking up with his former Liverpool number nine Fernando Torres at Newcastle United is certainly a romantic one.
Madrid-born Rafa Benitez could return to his roots to bring a new number nine to Newcastle United in the January transfer window.
So far, Newcastle have been linked with not one, but two, of Atletico’s strikers – but it’s fair to say one would be a far more exciting addition than the other.
The Mirror reports that Fernando Torres is keen to leave the Wanda Metropolitano in January and had his heart set on a reunion with Benitez – the manager who brought him to Liverpool from Atletico in 2007 and turned him into one of the world’s most feared hitmen.
But there’s a reason Torres was reportedly eyeing an exit from the club he has adored since his boyhood days. Torres is not the same lethal striker who starred on Merseyside, and has started just one La Liga game all season at the age of 33. His best days have been behind him for quite some time, and a slow decline set in a long ago.
Reports linking his fellow Los Colchoneros hitman Kevin Gameiro to St James’ Park, then, give Newcastle fans far more reason to get excited. According to Don Balon, the Frenchman is on the radar of Newcastle, Everton and Tottenham and could leave Atletico to make way for Diego Costa’s return in the New Year.
And Gameiro, unlike Torres, appears to have a few years left in him at the top level. He’s 30 years of age now, but that rapid pace and ability to dart behind defences is yet to be diminished.
Furthermore, Gameiro has scored nine more goals than Torres in the last two La Liga seasons. And while he would cost far more, Newcastle will know that they must invest to ensure their Premier League survival.
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