Why this statistic could justify Newcastle’s busy summer and their rotation

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Many new faces joined Newcastle, and Benitez likes to shuffle his pack a lot. Both are reflected in this statistic.

It was a very busy summer at Newcastle United off the field as manager Rafa Benitez tried to shape the club to be able to achieve their ambitions on the field.

No fewer than 12 new faces arrived at the club this summer as Benitez assembled a large squad for the season ahead. A 46-game league season beckoned and the Spaniard wanted enough resources to cope with those demands and not be left short in his goal of achieving those targets.

His side has not been short of goals after 11 games in the Championship as the Magpies have averaged two per game, but it seems that the list below justifies the many changes so far:

Seven of his new signings have got off the mark in front of goal this season, with the most pleasing aspect surely the strike rate of Dwight Gayle; the man charged with getting the Lion’s share of the goals for his side this season with an impressive strike rate of seven goals in nine games thus far.

The likes of DeAndre Yedlin, Ciaran Clark, Grant Hanley and Isaac Hayden will not necessarily be expected to contribute much in terms of goals as others given their defensive roles but it shows a willingness to chip in even if they will judged on other aspects of their game.

It is also worth noting that with 12 different goalscorers, Newcastle have seen more players on the score sheet than any of their rivals for promotion, which will please Benitez in that there is a responsibility on players that don’t necessarily start every game to come in and contribute.

That list is only going to grow as the season goes on, and it is likely that everyone who has contributed so far will do so again if they are to achieve their goals.