Speaking on the Ranks FC Podcast, Dean Jones has been discussing Newcastle and their pursuit of a new creative midfielder.
The Magpies are in the market for a new playmaker. They’ve made two bids for James Maddison over the past week, and it looks like they’re very keen to bolster that area of the squad.
Unfortunately for Newcastle, getting Maddison out of Leicester is easier said than done, and after having two bids rejected, they may have to look at alternative options.
According to Jones, one player Newcastle are fans of is Ross Barkley and if they don’t get Maddison, they could go for the Chelsea man.
What’s been said?
Jones spoke about Newcastle’s interest in Barkley.
“Exactly, we’ve seen them go for Maddison, they’re looking for a creator and someone who can do something special. If they don’t get Maddison, they like Ross Barkley so they might go for someone like him if that all falls through. I think they’ll get a creator in there of some sort,” Jones said.
Downgrade
With all due respect to Ross Barkley, targeting the Chelsea man after missing out on Maddison would be a massive downgrade for Newcastle.
Maddison was on fire last season. He bagged 12 Premier League goals and was arguably one of the best midfielders in the league last term.
Meanwhile, Barkley barely got a game for Chelsea, and when he did play he made very little impact.
Of course, as a player who has been capped 33 times for England, Barkley has plenty of talent, but it’s fair to say that Maddison is a few levels above him at the moment.
Newcastle need to be aiming a bit higher than Barkley if they don’t get Maddison.
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