New loan signing Islam Slimani is aiming to score the goals that will propel Newcastle to Premier League safety after joining on loan from Leicester City.
The 29-year-old will spend the remainder of the 2017/18 season at St James’ Park after leaving the Foxes on Deadline Day, just 18 months after he became the former Premier League champions’ club record signing following a £30 million move from Sporting Lisbon.
And Slimani is confident he can provide a cutting edge in attack that was evidently lacking during Newcastle’s 1-1 draw with Burnley on Wednesday night.
“It’s a great thing for me and for Newcastle. I’m happy to be here,” the Algeria international told the club’s official website in his first interview as a Newcastle player. “Hopefully I can come here and be able to give them a hand.
“Knowing the power of the fans and crowd here and how great they are, and also speaking to the manager, it gave me the confidence that this was the right choice.”
Magpies boss Rafa Benitez, who also wrapped up the loan signing of Sparta Prague goalkeeper Martin Dubravka, expects Slimani to add a different element to his attacking options.
“Slimani is a player with Premier League experience,” Benitez told BBC Sport.
“He is a player who can fight with defenders, challenge and score goals. Hopefully he can give us some experience and some different characteristics to the strikers we have at the moment.”
