OPINION
Newcastle United owner Mike Ashley looks to be forcing manager Rafa Benitez to dip into the bargain market once again this summer, and that means the Magpies’ options will be severely limited in the coming weeks.
The club will no doubt spend decent money on one or two players, but the rest of their business will likely be done on the cheap, and Benitez may therefore have to take some risks with his signings.
Players brought in for low fees tend to be unwanted and out of form, and that is most certainly true with one player that Newcastle should think about taking a punt on this summer.
As reported by the Liverpool Echo, winger Lazar Markovic has returned for pre-season with Liverpool, but the Serbia international is set to leave once again in the coming weeks.
The regional newspaper claim that any fee for the 24-year-old winger will be a ‘fraction’ of the £20million that the Reds paid for his services in 2014.
Admittedly, Markovic has not impressed in any way since he fell out of favour at Anfield, but the Serbia international is still relatively young at 24 years old, and there is no reason why Benitez cannot bring the best out of him.
Markovic arrived at Liverpool on the back of huge hype, with many describing him as a huge talent who could go on to huge things at the club.
It has obviously not worked out that way, but Markovic will still have that raw talent somewhere, and he just needs the right environment to bring that out of him.
His pace is still decent and he will be keen to prove himself at a high level after his torrid time at Liverpool, and Benitez must now move to bring him in at St. James’ Park.
The fee will be low anyway, and Benitez will surely be able exploit his contacts at Liverpool to secure an even better deal for himself and the Magpies.
It is a risk, but it is one worth taking when you consider the situation that Benitez finds himself in on Tyneside.
