Newcastle United have struggled to find their feet in the years under Mike Ashley, suffering two relegations but securing an immediate return to the Premier League in both attempts, but huge changes are now on the cards.
Ashley officially put the club up for sale yesterday, with the aim to complete a deal before Christmas, and it could see the start of a Rafael Benitez revolution on Tyneside- with one summer signing potentially holding the key.
21-year-old Mikel Merino, signed for Borussia Dortmund, has been impressing so far this season in his six starts and two appearances as a substitute- which means he has featured in every game of Newcastle’s Premier League campaign thus far.
Whilst he’s still finding his feet in English football, and is yet to register a goal or an assist, the early signs are certainly promising for the young Spaniard and he could become a crucial player in Rafael Benitez’ new-look side.
Alongside Isaac Hayden, Jamaal Lascelles, DeAndre Yedlin and Matt Ritchie, Merino is the sort of player that a quality team can be built around and the defensive-minded midfielder could boast an impressive partnership with the aforementioned Hayden.
The pairing could protect Newcastle’s back-line, allowing the likes of Matt Ritchie and Ayoze Perez to provide more of an influence in attack- which could spark Newcastle into life, as they’ve lacked consistency in front of goal this season.
Merino and Hayden are both part of only six outfield players to feature in every match for Newcastle United this season and the trend is likely to continue in the weeks ahead, where the Magpies face Crystal Palace, Burnley and Bournemouth.
A midfield built around Merino, featuring Hayden, Perez, Ritchie and Christian Atsu, could be extremely effective going forward but would be equally important in defence, with the defensive midfield pairing providing a blanket of protection to the back-line.
The defence certainly needs to improve, as they’ve kept just two clean sheets this season, but conceding just nine goals is not too bad- especially when you consider two of those came on the opening weekend’s defeat to Tottenham, with another pair being shipped in the recent draw with Southampton.
