Newcastle transfer news: How Rafael Benitez’s Magpies could look at the end of January with new signings

Newcastle transfer news: How Rafael Benitez’s Magpies could look at the end of January with new signings
Newcastle United manager Rafael Benitez has been given hope this January transfer window of signings to help his side stay in the Premier League.The Magpies currently sit 15th in the division but are without a win since mid-December when they dispatched Huddersfield 1-0 away from home.6

It’s been a tough season for Benitez and Newcastle so far

Benitez has slammed the lack of resources he has been given previously and it is safe to say the relationship between the Spaniard and owner Ashley is troubled when it comes to bringing in players, with the boss having to make good use of the loan market in seasons gone by.But in the winter window this season, Newcastle are looking to do some business to ensure survival and have been linked with a whole host of names in targeted areas by the manager.Benitez’s side have won just four games this season, which has made the need for another striking option urgent, while cover for full backs DeAndre Yedlin and Paul Dummett wouldn’t go amiss – but who are the players they have been linked with?

Sebastien Haller (Frankfurt)

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At 6″2 Haller is a perfect target man for Rafa as well as being quicker than the options they currently have

The French forward is a player that Benitez has admired for years, making an approach for Haller when he was playing for Dutch side, FC Utrecht.Reports suggest the Frenchman would cost in the region of 25million despite being in the shadow of Luka Jovic who has scored 17 goals so far this season in Germany.Haller himself is a proven goalscorer and has been involved in 23 goals this season, scoring 12 and providing 11 assists as Frankfurt sit sixth in the Bundesliga table, four points behind RB Leipzig who occupy the final Champions League spot.The 24-year old moved to the German side in July for the start of the 2017 season and initially struggled to take his form from the Eredivisie to the Bundesliga, Haller scored 51 goals in 97 appearances for the Dutch side but only managed nine goals in 31 appearances in the German top flight last year.This campaign is a different story though and he has contributed to 17 league goals in as many games.Although Salomon Rondon has enjoyed a consistent spell as the Toon’s No.9, he has only scored six league goals as their leading scorer, with defender Ciaran Clark in second with two goals- Haller would be a huge statement of intent by Newcastle if this deal goes through and should help the club get amongst the goals.

Miguel Almiron (Atlanta)

The Paraguayan has been linked with a move away from the MLS Champions Atlanta, with a whole host of teams eyeing up the duo of Almiron and Venezuelan forward Josef Martinez, who was voted MLS MVP player of the season.6

Almiron has been a standout performer in MLS since joining Atlanta

Attacking midfielder Almiron, 24, has been after a move to England in the Premier League and Newcastle have long been favourites to land him, but the transfer has been put into doubt after he demanded a 100,000-per-week salary.Reports now claim the ‘astronomical demands’ of Almiron’s camp and what the Newcastle board are willing to pay are a huge distance apart.Atlanta’s No.10 has only been with the American side since 2017 where he moved from Primera Division outfit Lanus, in Argentina for $7.5million (5.88m).In his time in Georgia, Almiron has scored 21 goals and notched up 21 assists in 62 Major League Soccer appearances, helping Atlanta to win their first MLS Cup in the 20118 season with a 2-0 win against Portland Timbers, Almiron delivering the free-kick that led to their second goal.Benitez’s side have managed only 15 goals this season, partially due to a lack of quality service to their frontmen Salomon Rondon and Joselu – the Paraguayan is an expert at linking play to the forwards but his ludicrous wage demands mean he has almost indefinitely priced himself out of a move to St James’s Park

Kenny LaLa (Strasbourg)

Another Frenchman who has been linked with the Magpies, potentially joining a long list of compatriots to have joined Newcastle in recent years, including Yohan Cabaye, Moussa Sissoko, Florian Thauvin, Mathieu Debuchy and Florian Lejeune.Lala has caught the eye of a cluster of teams around Europe including Ligue 1 champions Paris Saint-Germain, and Real Madrid.This one could be more of a wish than a certainty, but the full-back sparked rumours of leaving Strasbourg when talking to French publication L’Equipe, the 27-year old stating “I don’t set any limit to my progress, and at the same time I have not set a limit on when I will leave.6“I am not close to anything and have an agent that deals with all of that, but I do not want to shut any doors.“I have blossomed at Strasbourg and a new contract would be a reward for that, but it would not stop me from having an ambition in the next summer transfer window.”It seems clear that Lala’s ambitions are to stay with his current side Strasbourg in Ligue 1 until the summer.His side are currently sixth in the standings and Lala has scored three goals as well as assisting six times this season, being their main set-piece specialist especially from the penalty spot.Newcastle have been awarded 15 penalties in the last three seasons and have had 7 different takers, which included missing six spot kicks. Lala could provide consistency in a high pressure situation that could keep them in the Premier League.

Clinton N’jie (Marseille)

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The Cameroon forward is a former Tottenham Hotspur player but failed to make an impact with Mauricio Pochettino and rarely involved in the first team

Clinton N’Jie moved from Lyon to Tottenham in 2015,for 12.69million, with the forward well thought of but things didn’t work out well in north London as he only made eight appearances, mostly as a substitute in the Premier League, amassing a total of 14 games in his short-lived Spurs career, with no goals and only two assists.After a poor spell in England, the Cameroon international was loaned back to Marseille in August of 2016, the loan was with the option to buy N’Jie at the end of the season, which the French side went ahead with for a fee of 6.5million after he scored four goals in 23 matches.This season, N’Jie has hit another blip in his career, falling out of favour with Marseille manager Rudi Garcia, limited game time this season means he is looking to force a move away from Les Olympiens, with N’Jie supposedly available on an initial short term loan with an option to making it permanent in the summer.With this in mind, there are a host of Premier League teams in and around Newcastle, including Burnley, Fulham and Cardiff, who are willing to offer him minutes as they battle relegation and Benitez is likely to see N’Jie as an option to replace the likes of Christian Atsu or on-loan Chelsea wide-man Kenedy on the left hand side.

Potential Starting XI:

If any of these transfer targets pull through for Newcastle, it is highly likely they will have what they need to push for survival, with Benitez getting what he wants and perhaps at last being able to look above them rather than over their shoulder at the lingering dotted line.The addition of forward options will serve as competition for the likes of misfiring Joselu and Salomon Rondon, who has regained confidence of late but is still isolated on the pitch.N’Jie and Lala will serve as potential attacking options in wide areas, depending on formation and the nature of the games, Lala could find himself in his preferred role as an attacking wing-back, rather than part of a back four.Meanwhile, N’Jie will most likely serve as a squad player to push existing wingers like Matt Ritchie, Atsu and Kenedy, or operate as a pacy forward on the counter.Could these be the changes needed in personnel to ensure Newcastle United survive?6

Is this how Newcastle United could look with new signings in January?

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