OPINION
Rafa Benitez has reportedly taken on an excruciating amount of work to find Newcastle United their perfect striker to fire the club forward, and it will achieve his desired results.
The Chronicle reported on Tuesday that it was understood that Benitez has a list of more than 50 strikers to sort through, with him having options that covered a range of budgets.
The newspaper claimed that the final transfer budget for the Magpies was still yet to be agreed by the club’s board, yet Benitez’s prepared nature seems like his ready for any scenario, even a disappointing one.
It is believed that the Magpies boss has rightly made signing a quality attacker the club’s No.1 priority in the upcoming summer window, and seems willing to go above and beyond to ensure a deal is done.
Benitez is clearly even prepared in case Mike Ashley drags his feet in another transfer window, as with his extremely long list he is going to be able to quickly green light striking targets to make up the time that others are costing him in the market.
The Chronicle’s report names drops some very interesting options such as Niclas Fullkrug, Andrej Kramaric as well as Feyenoord’s Nicolai Jorgensen, and if any of those feature on Benitez’s list, which is likely, it certainly suggests the Magpies will meet their number one priority in the transfer window.
It’s also reassuring that Benitez is putting in the necessary work ahead of his budget being revealed, as it means a player like Islam Slimani won’t be welcomed to the club out of desperation.
The 29-year-old Leicester City forward spent the second half of the recently concluded campaign on loan at St James Park and flopped as he failed to score, while making only four appearances.
According to Le Buteur, the Foxes are seeking at least £17.5million to sell the forward, even though he failed at the Magpies, and it shows you how a club needs a range of targets as some clubs are delusional when it comes to their price tags.
Therefore it’s clear that Benitez has personally taken on an excruciating amount of work to ensure the Magpies make their priority signing this summer, which would be welcoming a prolific forward to the club.
