According to the Chronicle, Newcastle are keeping an eye on Atlanta United striker Josef Martinez. However, that’s as far as their interest should go for now.
The Venezuelan striker is an unbelievable talent who hasn’t stopped scoring since moving to the MLS. He’s currently in his third season in the United States, averaging just shy of a goal a game. Regardless of what you think of the MLS, that is some achievement.
So why on earth should Newcastle decide against signing him?
Well as it stands, the money should be spent elsewhere. Newcastle broke their transfer record this summer, spending £40 million on Joelinton. That’s a big investment, and one we need to see a return on.
If another big money striker arrives, Joelinton may not get as many minutes and ultimately fail to live up to his lofty price tag.
We’ve got Andy Carroll and Dwight Gayle as back up, which is more than enough if the pair can stay fit.
If Martinez wasn’t going to be too costly then fair enough, go for it, but there’s no way that would be the case. We got Miguel Almiron from Atlanta United for £21 million. With the rate Martinez has been scoring, you can imagine Atlanta wanting double the fee they got for the Paraguayan. Can you really see Newcastle spending another £40 million on a striker so soon after Joelinton?
But if the money is there to be spent, it should go on a winger. That is where Newcastle are lacking star quality as it stands. Almiron has been hit and miss and might be better in the middle. As for Allan Saint-Maximin, we haven’t seen enough from him due to injury.
But after that, all we’ve got is Christian Atsu. The little Ghanaian has started the season well, but this is surely just a purple patch for him.
We lack real quality in depth out wide, which is why our strikers often struggle. How can they be expected to score if the players behind them aren’t capable of creating chances?
Steve Bruce needs options. He needs players on the bench he can turn to to change a game. With a fully fit squad, his striker options are fine. But out wide, we’re struggling.
We’ve been linked with Rony Lopes recently, a top bracket player who could make a difference in black and white. Or there’s Ryan Fraser, the Bournemouth winger who we were previously linked with. He’s in the final year of his contract.
There are wide midfielders out there who could massively improve Bruce’s squad. These are the players we should be keeping tabs on and making a move for ahead of January.
Josef Martinez is the real deal, but shouldn’t be a priority for Newcastle.
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