Steve Nicol backs Newcastle United’s pursuit of Troy Deeney.
Steve Nicol has told ESPN that he expects Newcastle United to sign Troy Deeney.
The Sun reported this week that Newcastle boss Rafael Benitez is a fan of the Watford forward and has made him his top target in the January transfer window.
The Magpies’ goalscoring problems have been well documented this season and their strikers – Dwight Gayle, Joselu and Aleksandar Mitrovic – have only managed seven Premier League goals between them since the start of the campaign.
Deeney, 29, has netted 25 goals in 88 top-flight appearances for the London side, and Nicol believes that he would be a very decent signing for Benitez.
He told ESPN, after putting it as a ‘hit’: “This makes a tonne of sense for me. You could say he’s a proven goalscorer in the Premier League, but not had a great year.
“He’s totally out of the picture [at Watford] and I think he would give Newcastle a good lift.
“Clearly Rafa’s not that keen on Gayle and I don’t think he’s that keen on Mitrovic either. For me this would be a good idea and a good signing for Newcastle.”
Deeney’s a decent enough centre-forward, but he’s not a decent goalscorer in the Premier League and perhaps the Spanish manager should aim higher.
United are only two points above the relegation zone and failing to score goals in the second half of the campaign will most likely result in relegation. Is Deeney – worth £8.8 million according to Transfermarkt – the man to change that? It seems unlikely.
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