The Newcastle United manager revealed he hopes to bring in a forward ‘with experience in the Championship’ before September 1st.
Newcastle United manager Rafael Benitez
This week Newcastle United’s summer spending surpassed the £50 million mark, meaning that the Championship club has now spent more money on new players than the likes of Leicester City, Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur – the teams who made up last season’s Premier League top three.
And it seems that Benitez has not stopped yet as he revealed to BBC Radio Newcastle that he is very keen to get another striker across the line before the transfer window closes.
He said: “We have to (get promoted) and you need players with experience to do this.
“We need senior players who can score goals as we’ve seen with (Dwight) Gayle and we have (Aleksandar) Mitrovic and we are looking for another striker with experience in the Championship.”
Potential moves for Moroccan left-back Achraf Lazaar and Chelsea winger Christian Atsu are supposedly in the works according to The Chronicle as a new striker emerges as the Magpies boss’ main priority – but who will it be?
A double injury blow to forwards Gayle and Mitrovic in the midweek EFL Cup tie against Cheltenham Town has left the Magpies rather short of attacking options for this weekend’s match against Brighton as they assess potential striking targets.
Newcastle United’s Aleksandar Mitrovic looks dejected after being substituted
Utrecht forward Sebastien Haller is a reported target though the 22-year-old doesn’t fit the ‘Championship experience’ bill, so now Benitez appears to be turning to the domestic market.
Huddersfield Town’s Nakhi Wells scored in the 2-1 win at Newcastle earlier in the month and is reportedly on the Tyneside club’s radar according to the Huddersfield Examiner.
The 26-year-old grabbed 17 goals in the Championship last season so is likely to be the type of player that Benitez was referring to, and could be a decent acquisition for the Magpies if they were to make a move.
Huddersfield Town’s Nahki Wells celebrates scoring their first goal
Another player is Sheffield Wednesday’s Fernando Forestieri who fueled speculation after he was left out of Wednesday’s first-team squad and started training on his own.
The Argentinian frontman has since been brought back into the Wednesday squad but his future at the club remains far from clear as Newcastle look ready to pounce.
Sheffield Wednesday’s Fernando Forestieri looks dejected after a missed chance
And while United could be looking to snatch a striker from their Championship rivals, they may try to tempt another Premier League player to drop down to the Championship as they have with Mo Diame, Matt Ritchie and Dwight Gayle already this summer.
Abel Hernandez, like Diame, was part of a Hull side that got promoted from the Championship last season but may be reluctant to drop back into the second tier given the Tigers’ start to the season. However, the Uruguayan international may still be convinced if the price is right.
All of this remains speculation for the time being though it seems that it is only a matter of time before Newcastle make their move.
Hull City’s Abel Hernandez celebrates scoring their second goal
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