Newcastle are expected to be busy this summer under Rafa Benitez.
Newcastle United manager Rafa Benitez has confirmed that he will remain at St. James’ Park for another season, but his decision will have come with assurances from owner Mike Ashley ahead of the summer window.
Fans have been desperate for Benitez to remain, with only a year left on his contract. West Ham and Napoli have been linked with a move, but the Spaniard has chosen to stay on Tyneside.
Now, Ashley must reward Benitez for his loyalty by backing the former Real Madrid manager in the transfer market and adding another winger to his squad will certainly be a priority.
Christian Atsu has been largely inconsistent, while Jacob Murphy is yet to prove his £12million transfer fee. A permanent deal for Chelsea’s Kenedy is yet to be seen, so adding a new winger could become crucial.
It should Benitez look to pounce on newly-promoted Wolves’ hesitation by making a cheeky offer for loanee Diogo Jota, who is yet to make his temporary move from Atletico Madrid a permanent one.
Jota, 21, has scored an impressive 18 goals from the left flank this season, as well as adding six assists as the Midlands giants gained promotion back to the Premier League. But he claimed that “nothing is signed” as of yet.
Spanish newspaper Marca claimed back in January that Wolves have the option to purchase the versatile attacker for a fee of £12.3million from Diego Simeone’s outfit, but Jota’s comments suggest a deal is yet to be agreed.
That should ring alarm bells at St. James’ Park, and convince Benitez to table an offer for Jota. At 21, the attacker is already showing the kind of prowess that sees him boast one of the best reputations in European football.
Landing Jota as cover with a view to breaking into the first team would give Newcastle another dimension going forward, but a player whose value is surely going to rise and rise. A must signing, if the Toon can elbow Wolves aside.
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