Newcastle United are tracking Mechelen’s prolific teenage striker Hassane Bande.
A lack of real star quality in attack could prove to be the downfall of an otherwise sturdy Newcastle United side this season.
Consequently, fans are clamouring for a proven, prolific and big-name striker to be the club’s marquee signing in the January transfer window. Someone like a Cedric Bakambu, a Cenk Tosun or even a Danny Ings.
It’s fair to say a 19-year-old playing for a side just a point off the bottom in Belgium’s top flight is not the man Newcastle supporters are dreaming of however. ClubCall reports that The Magpies have joined the race for Mechelen striker Hassane Bande – which is once again likely to have fans asking serious questions about their clubs ambition.
On initial inspection, Bande is the sort of signing that has typified Newcastle’s profit-over-progress approach to transfers during the reign of penny-pinching owner Mike Ashley. The teenager is completely unproven in England, cheap and, even if he does impress, would likely be sold on for a profit in a few years’ time.
From another perspective, however, Newcastle should be applauded for recognising the potential of a player who is not playing for a big time in a big league. Bande is currently the top scorer in Belgium’s top flight with eight goals in seven starts for a struggling Mechelen side.
He’s scored almost 50 per cent of their goals in 2017/18 – an indicator of just how important Bande has become to the club in a remarkable breakthrough season.
If Bande can score at such a prolific rate and take on a leading role so early in his professional career, this marks him down as more than a run-of-the-mill teenage talent. Bande may not be the man to fire Newcastle up the Premier League table right now but he could offer real hope for the future.
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