
When it comes to Wout Weghorst joining Newcastle United, the Magpies faithful are about as confident as an awkward 15-year-old working up the courage to ask his lifelong crush to the Year 11 prom.
While the pulling power of the Premier League cannot be disputed (why else would Xherdan Shaqiri have swapped Inter Milan for Stoke City?), there is a feeling on Tyneside that Weghorst can do a lot better than a club who, despite a deceptive 12th-place finish, spent the majority of last season glancing nervously over their shoulders at the relegation zone.
Especially when you consider that his Wolfsburg side will be playing Champions League football in 2021/22, by virtue of a place on the Bundesliga podium.
And even if the 6ft 6ins Dutchman was keen on a move to England, a West Ham United side on the up under David Moyes – qualifying for Europe and boasting a squad full of players perfectly suited to getting the best out of an old-school penalty-box poacher – should appeal more than a Newcastle side not exactly overflowing in the creativity department.

The prospect of Weghorst throwing himself onto the end of an inch-perfect Aaron Cresswell set-piece is genuinely mouth-watering.
The former AZ Alkmaar giant has broken the 20-goal barrier in three of the last four campaigns, notching 25 last time out while blossoming into one of the most ruthless finishers in the whole of Europe.
Should Weghorst enhance his already burgeoning reputation at Euro 2020, you’d imagine that clubs more ambitious and forward-thinking than perennial water-treaders Newcastle will come calling.

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