OPINION
Newcastle United do desperately need to find themselves a top class striker, but Club Brugge frontman Wesley is not the player they need.
Belgian outlet HLN reported on Friday that Newcastle were one of three Premier League teams interested in bringing the Brazilian to England, along with Cardiff City and West Ham United.
Their report stated that a Chinese club had seen a £22million-plus bid for the 22-year-old rejected, an outlandish sum of money for a player who has done nothing to suggest that he is worth such a valuation.
For Newcastle the player’s price tag, coupled with the fact that he is unproven in a major European league, make him a no go. The Magpies don’t have the money to bid near, let alone more than, £22million, making this move doomed to fail from the start.
He’s scored 10 goals in 27 games this campaign, a decent record but nothing special for someone operating in Belgium. Last season was similar, when he hit 13 in 44.
Those aren’t outlandish numbers, and there are plenty of more affordable strikers out there with better records in superior European leagues.
If the Magpies are ever going to spend more than £20million on a player then they need to know that their investment won’t be wasted. There is no such reassurance with Wesley, a talented but inconsistent attacker.
Simply put, Rafael Benitez’s side need proven quantities at this stage. That’s why the manager was so keen to bring Salomon Rondon in this summer and, frankly, the Venezuelan is a much safer bet than Wesley.
Perhaps Cardiff or West Ham will bring the Brugge star to England and he’ll prove to be a big success. But, again, maybe not. It’s not worth the risk for Newcastle.
Benitez would be wise to move on and count his blessings. There are proven top level talents out there who would be available for less; this one’s best avoided.
