Former Newcastle United centre forward Micky Quinn has identified an attacking midfielder as the main area the club should be looking to strengthen in January.
The Magpies have struggled to create chances at times in their rigid 4-4-2 formation, and Quinn feels that a midfielder who can unlock the door would be huge for Rafael Benitez’s side.
“An attacking-midfielder would be top of my January shopping list if I was Rafa – and I know that’s a position he’s wanted to strengthen for a long while,” he wrote on a Chronicle Q & A [13:47].
“What they really need is an attacking-midfielder in the Frank Lampard role – someone who will support Rondon, and provide goals and assists. Jonjo Shelvey and Ki Sung-yueng can provide passes from deep positions, but Newcastle need another creative influence higher up the pitch. If they were to sign someone in that mould in January, then I think Newcastle will survive quite comfortably,” he finished.
OPINION
Quinn seems pretty on the money, here. Creating chances has been a bit of a problem for Newcastle United this season, and that remains the case despite their impressive recent form. The formation that the team operates under plays a part, of course, but so does the personnel. There is no quality number ten pulling the strings at St James’ Park and that means that the team’s attacks can sometimes look formulaic. A few games back it was clear that there was no real attacking strategy other than pumping the ball into the box and hoping for the best. That’s not good enough at this level. The signing of a top class attacking midfielder would mean Newcastle can move away from that tactic towards a more nuanced approach. From there they should be able to progress up the table with a more diversified attack. Let’s see what the team does come January.
