OPINION
Newcastle United utility man Matt Ritchie has been one of the revelations of the season for the Magpies after successfully making the transition from winger to wing back.
However, he will certainly have been fearing for his long-term future after Monday’s transfer speculation. TEAMtalk reported that Rafael Benitez’s side want West Bromwich Albion left back Kieran Gibbs as part of a blockbuster five-player swap deal with the Baggies.
There’s no doubt that the England international would present a serious challenge to Ritchie’s starting wing back role on the left hand side. The former Bournemouth man has been tremendous this term, but his form has apparently not been enough to stop Benitez from looking at other options for the position.
Ritchie, on a reported £45,000-per-week [Source: Spotrac], already has competition at left wing back, of course. Paul Dummett, Ciaran Clark, Antonio Barreca and Kenedy can all play at the position to varying degrees of success.
Gibbs, though, is another kettle of fish entirely. He is a former long time Arsenal player who is proven at Premier League level and is in the prime of his career at 29 years of age.
If Gibbs were to come in then it would be reasonable to assume that the Ritchie experiment, successful though it’s been, is on borrowed time. The West Brom man has played at wing back many times this season, meaning that he would be capable of slotting in no matter what system Benitez opts for next campaign.
No one, then, could blame Ritchie for fearing for his long-term future if Gibbs was to arrive at St James’ Park, as it could see him notably slip down the pecking order.
