OPINION
Newcastle United made strides towards improving their troubles in front of goal with a two goal performance in the team’s 3-2 defeat to Manchester United on Saturday.
However, there is still plenty of room for improvement when it comes to the Magpies’ fortunes going forward. Rafael Benitez tried to fix the issue by shuffling his pack this summer, but so far you have to say it hasn’t worked that well.
A January move for Everton misfit Oumar Niasse, on a reported £55,000-per-week at Goodison Park [Source: Spotrac], could be an unexpected solution to the problem, however, and Benitez should consider bringing the 28-year-old in.
A report from Turkish Football on Monday stated that Super Lig giants Galatasaray were interested in signing Niasse in January to alleviate their own striking issues, and that the Toffees have given the green light to see him leave.
Newcastle cannot allow the 28-year-old to slip the Premier League net. The Senegal international has always had the appearance of possessing untapped potential, and someone is going to unlock it at some point.
Niasse seemingly has no future on Merseyside. He’s made six appearances this season in all competitions but he’s played just 165 minutes of first team football. Couple that with the fact that he’s not even been included in the match day squad for the last few games and it paints a bleak picture for the striker.
He’s an underrated frontman, though. He scored nine goals last campaign despite receiving limited playing time. That’s a goal every 125 minutes for him last season, by no means a terrible strike rate.
Prior to that he made a big impact for Hull City after joining the Tigers on loan in January, netting five goals for a woeful Hull team destined for the drop.
That’s comparable to what Cenk Tosun did after signing for Everton this January, but Niasse did it for a far worse team than Tosun’s Toffees.
Salomon Rondon and Joselu don’t appear to be the answer for the Magpies. They are too static and are simply not prolific enough. Yoshinori Muto showed what he could do against United on Saturday, netting an excellent goal, and Niasse could prove a perfect partner for the Japanese star.
The Senegal man can hold the ball up as well as Rondon and Joselu, but he is quicker and has more of an eye for goal than either of those players. His extra mobility, which belies his powerful frame, is what makes him an upgrade on those two attackers.
It may not be the most popular move with Newcastle fans, but Benitez should seriously consider making a January bid for Niasse before the 28-year-old gets away from him.
