Reports emerged that Crystal Palace are weighing up a move for unhappy Chelsea striker Olivier Giroud, but Newcastle should break with their transfer policy to sign the Frenchman.
The former Arsenal forward is said to be unsettled at Stamford Bridge due to his lack of game time, and The Sun report that if he is to leave Frank Lampard’s revolution, he could be available for as little as £3 million.
Newcastle’s transfer blueprint is to sign players under 25 and with a potential high sell-on value, and while 33-year-old Giroud fits neither of those stipulations, Newcastle have broken from that ideology at times when needed.
Andy Carroll signed in the summer, and Salomon Rondon was brought in on loan last season. Even before that, Daryl Murphy arrived to help us out of the Championship.
They were all drafted in to do a job when it was, or is, needed. The goals Giroud would bring is most definitely needed, and it would be nice to have him scoring them for us for a year or so, rather than against us.
He has been a regular tormentor of the Magpies over the years, having played against us 12 times, and ending up on the winning side in 11 of those. But more impressive are his scoring of 8 goals against us during that time.
Newcastle cannot risk Premier League structure by sticking to transfer blueprint
The report also claims he is on a hefty £100,000 a week, and Newcastle would have to be flexible with their wage structure, but if they were to offer a few thousand less than his current weekly salary, surely he would consider it, in his quest for first-team football.
Signing him in January, they could offer him either a short-term deal, or an 18-month contract, which would take him past his 34th birthday.
Newcastle need goals, and failure to find them will see Steve Bruce add another relegation to his already underwhelming CV.
Mike Ashley and Lee Charnley should forget about blueprints, age-limits and pay restrictions to protect the Premier League status of this football club, and if making a move for a renowned goal-scorer who just happens to be north of 30, then so be it.
The risk of not bringing him, or another proven goal-getter to the club, is far too devastating to contemplate.
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