OPINION
Newcastle United would stun their Premier League rivals if they won the reported race to sign Nice forward Alassane Plea.
Sky Sports reported that the Magpies were in the hunt, alongside Tottenham, West Ham and Fulham, to sign the fantastic 25-year-old attacker and it would be amazing if they ended up with Plea.
According to the broadcaster’s report Nice want 30million euros (£26.6million) for their forward’s service and this means the Magpies would have to smash their transfer record to get a deal done.
The most the Magpies have ever spent on signing a player is when they parted with £16million, as stated by the Chronicle, to sign Michael Owen from Real Madrid in 2005.
In fact it has been so long since the Magpies have broken their record that the current top-flight have broken their record transfer fees 101 times, according to the Chronicle, since Owen rocked at St James Park.
This means the other Premier League sides in the hunt are no doubt confident that the Magpies won’t be a threat to them getting Plea as no one will be confident that they’re willing to splash anywhere in the region of £26.6million for the forward.
However Magpies owner Mike Ashley should finally reach deep into those pockets and splash the cash in order to bring Plea to the club.
The 25-year-old forward who scored 21 goals in 49 appearances across all competitions for Nice in his 2017/18 campaign is exactly the type of player who would help the Magpies achieve success in the near future.
Plea through his clinical finishing ability, dazzling dribbling skills and creative vision when it comes to picking out the right pass would instantly boost the club’s attacking threat.
A player of his quality arriving would also probably convince Rafa Benitez that his ambitions for the Magpies could be met and would see the Spanish manager to stick around at St James Park by signing a new contract.
While it’s hard not to doubt Ashley’s willingness to splash this sort of cash on one player based on his track record, perhaps even he can see the value in welcoming such a talented forward who would raise morale around the club.
Therefore the Magpies should look to win the reported race for the forward’s signature as it would be the right move giving he’s the type of player they need.
Also if Benitez’s side did get Plea’s services then it would stun their Premier League rivals, including those not in the race, as it will show that the Magpies were finally willing to spend the money needed to take England’s top-flight by storm.
