OPINION
Newcastle United must use Rafa Benitez’s Liverpool connections to successfully hijack Premier League rivals Leicester City’s reported pursuit of defender Nathaniel Clyne.
The Sun reported on Saturday that the Foxes were plotting a move to bring the 27-year-old right-back to the King Power Stadium in January.
The newspaper claimed that Clyne could consider an exit from Anfield due to it potentially boosting his international chances, as he is currently behind Trent Alexander-Arnold in the pecking order and not seen as a regular member of Gareth Southgate’s England squad.
The full-back is also currently behind Joe Gomez when it comes to Jurgen Klopp’s plans and it’s clear that he probably needs to leave the Reds soon in order to revive his career.
Clyne, who earns £70,000-a-week at Anfield (Source: Spotrac), was previously the first-choice right-back at the Reds before a back injury ruled him out for a significant period of time.
With Alexander-Arnold stepping up to the plate and excelling in his absence, since returning to full fitness at the tail-end of last season Clyne has only managed to feature once for the senior side in the current campaign.
The 27-year-old flyer was previously seen as one of the best right-backs in the league due to his defensive toughness, adequate pace and his ability to whip the ball into the box.
Clyne’s skill set mixed with his Premier League experience, he played 167 times in England’s top division, would be the perfect signing for the Magpies.
It was previously reported by the Chronicle in the summer that Benitez had made it a priority for the club to sign a capable right-back to compete with DeAndre Yedlin for a first-team spot, however no such player arrived before the window shut.
Given that the Magpies need a capable right-back and Clyne is one capable of not only competing with Yedlin but bypassing him in the pecking order, then the club simply have to go all out to sign him.
While Leicester City have shown tendency not to shy away from spending in the market unlike the Magpies, Benitez no doubt has fantastic connections with those at Anfield after a previous successful spell as manager of the Reds.
This means the Magpies could effectively use the Spanish manager’s influence as a trump card to win the race for Clyne and it’s a card they simple must play to bring an experienced flyer who would aid the club’s quest for Premier League stability.
