The inevitable happened over the weekend. Newcastle were linked with a move for Steve Bruce favourite Ahmed Elmohamady.
The Sun made the claim, stating that the Toon boss wants to sign the Egyptian defender for the third time in his career. He did it with Sunderland, then Hull and Aston Villa.
The 31-year-old won promotion with Villa last season, and hopefully that’s where he remains.
The report claims that the Newcastle hierarchy would rather sign a young player than 31-year-old Elmohamady, and thank goodness.
It’s clear that we’re desperate to add another right-back to the squad before the transfer window closes, but it must not be Elmohamady. He’s average at best, and it’s unclear why Bruce has such an affinity towards him.
While it is frustrating at times to see Newcastle unwilling to sign players above a certain age, this is the one time it makes complete sense. The Villa defender is no better than the options we already have, and there’s no real room for him to improve.
DeAndre Yedlin and Javi Manquillo are both at an age where they can still get better. We need players who are going to improve the squad, and Elmohamady would 100% not do that.
Not seeing Salomon Rondon return to the club because of his age was hard to stomach as he was so inspirational last season.
But when it comes to Elmohamady, this is one rare occasion where Newcastle’s decision makers are spot on.
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