OPINION
If Newcastle’s hunt for Joelinton continues any longer, they could be in real trouble of starting the season with one of either Dwight Gayle or Yoshinori Muto leading the line. It would be smart for Steve Bruce to have a potential shortlist of back-up options should a move for the Brazilian materialise. Journalist Kaveh Solhekol revealed on Sky Sports News on Friday night [19:50 pm] that Newcastle had contacted Mateta’s representatives. This would be a great move from Bruce, with the 22-year-old having been involved in 16 goals in 34 Bundesliga appearances. The French youth international has pace and power and isn’t afraid to pull the trigger, having averaged 2.9 shots per game last season, as well as winning 3.2 aerial battles according to WhoScored. A player with the athleticism of Mateta is exactly what is needed at St James’ Park, with both Gayle and Muto weak in comparison to Mateta, both physically and in-front of goal. Many Newcastle fans took to Twitter to react to the reported interest, getting over-excited claiming they could win the Premier League and even challenge for the Champions League the season after next should they pull off a deal.
NothingButNewcastle picked out some of the best reactions below:
