OPINION
As Rafa Benitez looks to build a Newcastle squad capable of challenging for a European place next season, there will be several players who unfortunately find themselves on the chopping block this summer.
As reported by the Chronicle, young Magpies striker Adam Armstrong is one of those, with the club looking to cash in on the academy prospect after an impressive loan at Blackburn.
On the other hand, first-team striker Dwight Gayle is set for a big role next season with Benitez ‘eager’ to work with him this summer, and there being little chance of a sale unless the Spaniard is backed heavily.
In all honesty this looks like a damaging mistake from Benitez as he looks to build a squad for next season.
Armstrong is coming off a strong loan spell at Blackburn where he scored nine goals to fire the Rovers back to the Championship, and is currently starring for England Under-21s in the Toulon tournament.
While many would say that the level of opposition which Armstrong is performing against is pretty low, the fact is that you can only beat what is in front of you.
The 21-year-old striker has never really been given the chance to impress in the Premier League for the club, and so we will never really know if he has what it takes.
Gayle on the other hand has had ample opportunity to perform at that level, and has constantly disappointed.
The 27-year-old has played 99 Premier League games in his career with United and Crystal Palace, scoring 21 goals in that time.
While that record is not the worst by any stretch of the imagination, it is not one that is going to fire Newcastle to a Europa League place next season.
Benitez’s willingness to keep working with Gayle is understandable considering the financial constraints he is working under, but to choose him over Armstrong looks a poor move if you also take money into consideration.
The club would be able to fetch at least £10million for Gayle, while the figure for Armstrong would likely be well below half that.
It is a decision which therefore makes little sense in both a footballing and financial perspective, and it is one that the club will most certainly not benefit from next season.
