OPINION
Newcastle United have not had the best of luck in this transfer window, and that may be set to continue after they were handed another transfer blow.
Sky Sports report that the Magpies hold a long-stand interest in signing the Crystal Palace winger Andros Townsend but he has claimed that he has no intentions of moving clubs anytime soon, stating that he wants to remain in South London “for many years.”
This news would have come as a major blow for boss Rafa Benitez, who is an admirer of the right-sided flyer since he spent six months playing his football at St James Park before rivals Palace activated his release clause to bring him to Selhurst Park.
The 27-year-old has also stated that “the club want me here, the fans want me here, I want to be here” – further twisting the knife over speculation linking him to a move.
Benitez being keen on a reunion with Townsend comes as no surprise – the Spaniard brought the best out of him during his short stay in the North, something which he would have been hoping to use to his advantage by bringing him back.
That will now not be the case, and Townsend would have provided the support in attack that Benitez needed in order for his strikers to maximise their output.
United have lost out on a number of players in this window, and Townsend will just be added to the list of names that they failed to acquire.
Lack of funds has been the underlying problem for Benitez, but that wasn’t the same for Townsend, who he would have been more than keen to spend some cash on.
He may not be at the standard where he is being selected for the England team anymore, but he would have provided that much-needed quality to the side.
Townsend does not look like he will be moving anywhere any time soon, which is the news that Benitez never wanted to hear.
