OPINION
Newcastle United manager Rafael Benitez will likely have to do a bit of recalibration with the centre of his midfield this summer.
Isaac Hayden has a well-known desire to leave the club for personal reasons, while Jonjo Shelvey and Mohamed Diame’s futures are up in the air as well. That doesn’t leave much room for manoeuvre in one of the most important areas of the pitch.
It’s no surprise, then, to see Football Insider report on Sunday that the Spaniard is keen to recruit Fulham captain Tom Cairney this summer and could offer the Cottagers striker Dwight Gayle to get the deal done.
Benitez is thinking along the right lines, here, but he hasn’t quite nailed the specifics. Central midfield is certainly an area of need, but Cairney simply isn’t the right man for this Newcastle team.
In essence he is a poor man’s Shelvey, someone who Benitez has seemingly become tired of. They are both creative players who like to get forward but are not always the most disciplined. So why would the Magpies boss bring in someone in Cairney who, at 28 years of age, is just an older version on Shelvey?
Plus, the Fulham star hasn’t exactly pulled up any trees in the Premier League this season, has he? On the whole he has been distinctly average. Is that someone Benitez should be bringing in?
Besides, he doesn’t really fit with the club’s youth-driven recruitment policy. So not only is this deal a bad idea but, luckily, it’s probably unlikely to happen.
That’s very much a good thing. Benitez must abandon his pursuit of the Scotland international and focus on other targets. Cairney’s not cut out for Newcastle.
