OPINION
Newcastle United must attempt to swoop for Cardiff City left-back Greg Cunningham in the January transfer window, with it widely known that the Magpies are rather short for reinforcements in that position.
The injury to Paul Dummett has put Rafa Benitez in a rather compromising situation at the moment, with the Spaniard having to consider the likes of Javier Manquillo to cover in his absence.
Instead, the manager plumped with a back five against Burnley on Monday, with Ciaran Clark coming in as one of the three centre-backs and two wing-backs being deployed.
However, this was not an ideal situation for Benitez – and it is evidently clear that he needs to sign a natural left-back in the next transfer window to solve this conundrum.
He should not look any further than Cardiff’s Cunningham, as he could be someone to put Benitez’ woes to bed – not to mention be a bargain for the Magpies.
The 27-year-old has struggled for game time under Neil Warnock this season, with just four appearances to his name for the newly-promoted outfit.
This means that the six foot [Transfermarkt] flyer would have a move away from Cardiff under consideration, as it is not fair for him to be on the sidelines when he could be making a difference to a side like Newcastle.
He has plenty of Championship experience – he has 173 outings under his belt in the second tier – that has helped him lead Cardiff to promotion.
If Benitez is looking for cover to Dummett, Cunningham is just the player to provide that.
Yes, many fans would point out the fact that he only has six top-flight appearances to his name, but his experience in the Championship pretty much trumps that.
Benitez could pull off quite the savvy swoop for such an experienced player, while remaining well within the budget on Tyneside.
