Abel Hernandez has failed in the Premier League twice with Hull City but could reportedly get a third chance with Newcastle United.
A frequent criticism of Newcastle United’s team this season is that it is a Championship side masquerading as a Premier League outfit.
A top-half finish might go some way to challenging that viewpoint, but the fact is there are a number of players in Newcastle’s team who have starred in the Championship but are yet to really prove themselves in the top flight; see Dwight Gayle, Ciaran Clark and Isaac Hayden to name a few.
If Newcastle really are to push on next season and fight for a place in the Europa League or the latter stages of the FA Cup, which Rafa Benitez has earmarked as potential targets, they need to upgrade a number of positions in their squad.
But reports in Uruguay from Ovacion that Benitez has enquired about the possibility of signing Hull City striker Abel Hernandez for free should perhaps be a concern for supporters frustrated by the lack of investment and marquee signings.
Yes, Hernandez is a Uruguayan international who has scored eight goals in eight starts in an injury-hit campaign. But, from the other perspective, he would be an underwhelming, cheap addition who has failed in his two previous Premier League campaigns.
Since joining Hull from Palermo in 2014, Hernandez has played 50 games in England’s top flight and managed a grand total of eight goals.
In fact, this is exactly the sort of signing that would once again raise questions about Newcastle’s ambition.
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