It’s unlikely that Newcastle United will be making a January move for Nottingham Forest attacker Joe Lolley, according to the Chronicle journalist Chris Waugh.
The Mirror reported on their transfer blog on Thursday [16:42] that the Magpies and Fulham were weighing up moves for Lolley in the winter transfer window.
However, Waugh has dampened those claims. He told the Chronicle’s live blog [30/11; 10:14] that despite the 26-year-old fitting the mould of what the club are after, he’d be surprised if the player was high up on Newcastle’s transfer wish list.
Waugh concedes that Lolley may have been scouted by the club in the past and that he is a man in form, but believes the Magpies will focus on other targets in January – most notably Atlanta United star Miguel Almiron.
OPINION
This is an interesting one. Lolley has been in red-hot form for Forest so far this season, registering six goals and six assists for Aitor Karanka’s side. He is an exciting winger who would get the crowd off their feet, something that Rafael Benitez doesn’t currently have in his arsenal. Kenedy can do that on occasion, but inconsistency is a major problem for the Brazilian. Newcastle desperately need a bit of creativity and much more of a goal threat from their midfield, something that Lolley would certainly provide. However, it doesn’t sound as if he will be wearing black and white any time soon. Premier League teams have a myriad of transfer targets and it doesn’t sound as if Lolley is at the top of Newcastle’s. Almiron is a player in demand, and the Daily Mail reported earlier this week that Toon representatives had flown to America to begin talks with Atlanta. Almiron certainly appears to be the club’s first choice winger, so it’s likely a move for Lolley would only be made if they miss out on the Paraguayan.
