OPINION
Ask most Newcastle United fans, and they would probably tell you that they are desperate for their club to move away from their previous transfer strategy of bargain basement flops and continental catastrophes.
Mike Ashley, pantomime villain extraordinaire, seems intent on doing his business for as little as possible, regardless of the impact that might have on his side.
Evidently, the owner has never heard the well worn adage about quality and quantity, but if he is to press on with his thrifty tendencies, then Rafa Benitez has to find an effective way of bringing in top talent for as little as possible.
That’s why Calcio Mercato’s suggestion that the Magpies are interested in Brentford defender Yoann Barbet could prove to be a cunning masterstroke.
The Bees have struggled for large parts of this season but seemed to have pulled their finger out in recent weeks, and could even be an outside shout for a play-off place.
In amongst that unlikely revival, there have been some standout performers, and Barbet is one of them.
The French powerhouse joined Brentford back in 2015, but has really caught the eye this season, establishing himself as a mainstay at the heart of defence and proving that he could be destined for much bigger things.
Newcastle have a long and mixed history with French players from lower leagues, but the key difference here is that the 25-year-old knows the English game.
This isn’t so much a gamble as a logical career step for a player approaching the peak of his powers, and if Newcastle could pull off this signing on the relative cheap, it could provide a blueprint of decent signings from English clubs that Benitez can follow for a while to come.
