Some Newcastle United fans reacted negatively to the idea that the club submitted a £2million bid for Stoke City defender Erik Pieters on transfer deadline day.
The Stoke Sentinel reported on Thursday that the Magpies had bid £2million for the Championship defender who currently earns £38,000-a-week at the Potters (Source: Spotrac) only for their offer to be knocked back.
The Magpies’ interest in Pieters was also stated by the Chronicle earlier on during transfer deadline day but it seems supporters of the Premier League outfit were relieved that nothing came from their club’s attempt to sign the left-back.
Nothing But Newcastle has rounded up a handful of tweets by supporters of Rafa Benitez’s side about the club bidding for Pieters:
We've been "cheeky" a lot in this window it seems.
— A (@AzzurriMagpie) August 9, 2018
https://twitter.com/Adrian____29/status/1027545560209911808
https://twitter.com/sturrock89/status/1027547189738909698
No no no i’d rather keep laazar
— John Ainsworth (@johnnyains) August 9, 2018
Thank God for that
— Daniel Black (@DanBlack869) August 9, 2018
https://twitter.com/TilehurstsOwn/status/1027546062159003648
https://twitter.com/BeatsStriped/status/1027545597333647367
https://twitter.com/dantk123/status/1027547378629394433
Good, he is garbage ..
— nEwCaStLe fOr LiFe (@77_SH_ER) August 9, 2018
OPINION
The fact that the Magpies’ failed pursuit of the Stoke City defender is being celebrated says it all as the Magpies should not have even contemplated the idea of bidding for him. Pieters may have Premier League experience but doesn’t look like an improve on Benitez’s current options. If the 30-year-old enforcer had arrived at St James Park then it would have just been a desperate move to sign any old left-back. Given that Pieters was a potential option this summer then perhaps seeing Achraf Lazaar pull on a Magpies shirt for the first-team once again isn’t the worst possible solution Benitez can take in order for their to be cover for Paul Dummett if he gets injured.
