OPINION
Newcastle United boss Rafa Benitez has limped painfully through the summer window after being let down yet again by owner Mike Ashley, but a deal could be on the cards that would see the Spaniard pull off a small miracle on Tyneside.
As widely reported, an agreement to sign West Bromwich Albion striker Salomon Rondon on loan is nearing completion, with Dwight Gayle set to head the other way.
That is a deal which has been expected to take place all summer, and it will therefore come as no surprise to anyone when it is finally completed.
On top of that, the Northern Echo now claim that the club are in talks over a loan-to-buy deal for Liverpool striker Danny Ings, who is said to be keen on a move to the north-east.
The regional newspaper claim that a £15million permanent option is under discussion, and if Benitez managed to secure this deal, he will have truly pulled the rabbit out of the hat this summer.
Newcastle will have gone from a team who scored just 39 goals across the whole Premier League season in 2017/18, to a side with the potential to trouble any defence in the division.
Let’s not forget that they have also signed Japan international striker Yoshinori Muto this summer, and could therefore head into the new season with three fresh strikers.
Rondon will obviously form the focal point to that attack, with the powerful Venezuelan being a brilliant target man for the Baggies over the last few seasons.
His hold-up play is exceptional, and he would be able to bring Ings and Muto into the game using that, with both those players possessing enough pace to get in behind with regularity.
For Benitez to have managed to bring in all three players this summer would be a huge achievement considering the limitations placed upon him, and Newcastle fans must hope he pulls the rabbit out the hat in the finals days of the window.
