Paul Dummett’s place in the side has been nailed on for a number of years but he could come under pressure if Benitez acts in January.
Rafael Benitez may have placed his trust in Paul Dummett but that is not to say the majority of Newcastle United fans do not have their eyes on the greener grass of elsewhere.
The Welsh international is one of the few homegrown players in the Magpies’ squad, a regular for a number of seasons, but to say he is solid rather than spectacular is an understatement. Across his first four seasons as a regular in the Newcastle starting XI, Dummett is yet to provide a single assist in league football.
However, with new signing Achraf Lazaar yet to convince and heading off to the Africa Cup of Nations in January, it is little surprise that the Championship league leaders have been tipped to reinforce their ranks in the New Year.
According to The Sun, Newcastle are ready to go head to head with local rivals Sunderland and Alan Pardew’s Crystal Palace for the £1.5 million-rated signature of Bordeaux left-back Maxime Poundje.
However, beyond the bragging rights and the satisfaction of beating their reviled Premier League counterparts to a highly rated former French youth international, what do Newcastle fans have to get excited about? Is Poundje the all-action, all-attacking left-back the fans are craving?
Statistics do not tell you the whole story but, in this case, they hardly give the impression that Poundje is the rip-roaring, overlapping assist-machine that the fans desire.
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