Newcastle’s Longshot would be Best avoided

It’s no secret that Newcastle are on the lookout for a striker. Despite signing Demba Ba from West Ham, Alan Pardew is still looking to strengthen his forward line and plenty of names have been mentioned. Mevlut Erdinc still appears to be firmly on Newcastle’s radar, but perhaps a more realistic target is Shane Long. After missing out on promotion to the Premier League at the final hurdle in a Championship Playoff Final defeat to Swansea, Reading have become resigned to losing their star striker, but is he the calibre of player that Newcastle need?

24-year-old Shane Long was a sensation in the Championship last season. He netted 23 times for Reading at a strike rate of better than a goal every other game and was the main reason behind the Royals’ rise up the table. 2010/11 really was Long’s breakthrough season, but prior to that he hardly set English football alight. He’s scored just a handful of goals in the Premier League in 50 appearances, but to be fair to the lad he was under 21 at the time and still learning his game. But even just two years ago Long failed to fire, so can Newcastle really risk a significant amount of their budget on someone who has broken double figures just once?

Pardon the pun but it really would be a longshot. The Irish international would cost in excess of £5 million, with a fee of £7m being touted around. His boss Brian McDermott might think that he’s the “best striker in the Championship,” but that’s not necessarily good enough for Newcastle. They need someone who can all but guarantee 15 to 20 goals in the top flight, and while those sort of players cost a premium, you can’t put a price on a prolific goal scorer at the top level. Instead of risking money on one Ireland international, why not give another a go?

Also aged 24, Leon Best didn’t fair badly last season. The Irishman scored 6 times in 11 appearances, and although 3 of those came in one match against West Ham, that’s still a decent return. Best himself knows that if he gets an opportunity he needs to step it up and he could well be capable of doing just that. Pardew seems to be a fan of Best too, and as things stand it’s likely to be a straight fight between him, Ba and Shola Ameobi for a starting spot up top.

It seems that I’m not alone in thinking that Best should be given further opportunities to prove himself, either. Best told the Evening Chronicle that “the feedback I get off the fans is that they don’t want me to go – they want me to stay and that I deserve another chance.” I really think he does and while I wouldn’t be happy if another striker doesn’t come in during the summer, at least that would mean that Leon would get his fair share of starts.

Every signing is something of a risk, but I think Shane Long would be an unnecessary one. He may offer more pace than his fellow Irishman, but Leon Best is more than capable of stepping up to the mark. I would give this longshot a miss, keep hold of the £7 million and put it towards a top, top striker, something Best isn’t, but then neither is Long.

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