OPINION
Many Newcastle fans would be thrilled if the club reignited their reported pursuit of Nottingham Forest attacker Joe Lolley as he ticks a lot of boxes.
The Magpies were reported as being keen on the 26-year-old Forest winger in November by the Daily Mirror’s Live Transfer Blog (16:42) and were thought to be weighing up a January bid.
However once the winter window came around that bid never emerged and that was a mistake on the Magpies’ part.
The 26-year-old is a fabulous talent and just what Rafa Benitez’s side are crying out for.
Lolley is a skilful winger with tricky feet and has enough pace to force any defence to squirm over the threat of facing him.
The Nottingham Forest attacker is able to take games by the scruff of the neck due to these skills and the fact his promising runs normally end with him scoring or assisting is a very positive sign.
Lolley has been in red-hot form this season for Forest as he has scored nine goals, while assisting nine, in his 42 outings for the club.
The Championship club may have gotten the 26-year-old to sign a contract but sometimes that is done in order to drive up his value rather than stop his exit.
While the Magpies are not notoriously big spenders even Mike Ashley may be willing to open his wallet for Lolley as not only could he impact the team positively but given his age, his potential resale value could be very alluring.
If Lolley was just able to get one good season under his belt in the Premier League with the Magpies then it would see his value soar, as the only black mark on his CV is that he only managed to feature six-times in England’s top-flight when at Huddersfield Town.
So when you consider he scores, he assists and his resale value could have Ashley tempted then Lolley ticks a lot of boxes that must see the Magpies be hot on his trail again.
