OPINION
Newcastle United could play a blinder by beating West Ham to the signature of Genk striker Mbwana Samatta as he has the talent to give Steve Bruce’s side a boost.
BBC journalist Ian Dennis claimed, via his personal Twitter account, that both the Magpies and the Hammers were keen on the 26-year-old forward who has a reported release clause of around £10million.
“Newcastle United and West Ham United are both interested in the Genk striker Mbwana Samatta,” wrote the reporter.
“The 26 year old, who scored against Liverpool in midweek, has a release clause reported to be around 10 million pounds.”
It’s believable that the Magpies are in the running for Samatta as Sky Sports journalist Kaveh Solhekol revealed in the summer that Newcastle were looking at signing the Genk striker if they couldn’t get a deal for Joelinton done.
While the Magpies did welcome Joelinton to St James Park, with Jonjo Shelvey being the only Magpie to score more than one goal this season, clearly Bruce needs more talented attackers on board.
So with that in mind the Magpies could play a blinder by getting Samatta on board as not only is £10million a reasonable price to pay in today’s market, but he has proven he can be a regular goal threat this season and he is capable of playing as a centre-forward as well as a right-winger, so would allow Bruce to be flexible.
The Genk striker has scored his eight goals in his 18 outings this season, with two of his goals coming in the Champions League and that certainly proves his pedigree.
Samatta has also been a nuisance generally in the Champions League for his opponents, including Liverpool, as he has averaged two shots per game as well as completed one dribble per match. (Source: WhoScored)
The attacker has also been fouled three times per game across his four Champions League matches and that shows how difficult he is to stop, as defenders are opting to bring him down unfairly as they can’t stop him any other way.
So with that in mind, the Magpies could be laughing if they manage to add Samatta to their squad, as he could help boost the club’s chances of progression.
