It’s been one step forward, two steps back for Newcastle United for most of this season. While some of the downright capitulations have subsided, they appear to be replaced by a series of hard-luck stories, in which the Toon try, but fail to convert chances and end up being punished.
The double signing of Jonjo Shelvey and Henri Saivet may bolster the ranks in the midfield, but manager Steve McClaren is seemingly hell bent on landing a goalscorer in order to rectify this most pressing issue. Aleksandar Mitrovic is finding his feet in the Premier League, though the hot-headed Serbian surely can’t be relied upon to plunder the goals needed to retain Premier League survival.
Reports suggest a club record bid for West Bromwich Albion forward Saido Berahino remains on the table, and the England under-21 star would be a fantastic signing for the club.
How come? Well, here are FIVE reasons Newcastle should do everything in their power to sign Saido Berahino.
MOBILE MOVER
The aforementioned Mitrovic, when at his best, provides traditional centre-forward play with aplomb. His all-round game against Chelsea was excellent, goal against Norwich was akin to Alan Shearer and the knock-down against Manchester United to tee up Giorginio Wijnaldum showed the Geordie faithful exactly why they bought him.
However, it’s not been consistent enough. Far too often have the likes of Moussa Sissoko and Wijnaldum dragged the team forward on the counter, only to find the 20-year lumbering behind. He’s not in the best position he could be in more often than not.
Berahino has electric movement, finding space in the box that could surely help finish some of the good work laid on by the Toon’s engine room. To deploy the 22-year old as the spearhead of the attack would add an extra dimension to McClaren’s side, who so often look bereft of ideas in the final third.
HE FITS THE MODEL
The need to introduce a more British core into the side has been talked up by their manager. Shelvey has arrived in order to address that somewhat, though homegrown talent is still a rarity at St. James’ Park.
While the difficulties in signing English players is well documented, the Baggies star has seen his stock plummet since his infamous failed move to Spurs over the summer. Having struggled for form and fitness all season, he’s perhaps lost some of the momentum surrounding this time last year.
Moving to Newcastle would give him an ideal platform to kickstart his career, whereas a move to Champions League chasing Spurs or an out of sorts Chelsea could be more of a struggle. The two would fit like hand in glove, as they both aim to fulfil lofty ambitions.
At just 22, Berahino has more or less his whole career ahead of him and plying his trade at a club like Newcastle could be the ideal learning curve before moving up to a Manchester United or Chelsea. For Newcastle too, purchasing him while his stock is a little down and nurturing his talent could suit their resale value based philosophy.
That may be a cynical view, but Berahino fits the business model.
PARTNER FOR MITROVIC
Though McClaren has deployed a lone forward for most of his time in charge of the North East giants, acquiring the badboy Baggie could provide an excellent partner for Mitrovic.
He’s worked well at times when paired with Ayoze Perez, though the Spaniard is probably better suited in the Number 10 role, drifting between the lines. Coupling the former Anderlecht forward with a pacey, mobile forward could serve as an old-fashioned ‘little and large’ strike partnership.
Fielding two forwards would ease the pressure on both McClaren and Mitrovic, perhaps deploying Wijnaldum as the creative spark between the two when playing at St. James’. With Shelvey pulling the strings behind them, Newcastle could finally start seeing a goal return on some of their fine build up play.
PROVEN IN THE PREMIER LEAGUE
Newcastle’s position is perilous. Facing relegation this season would see them miss out on the most lucrative TV money in Premier League history, so they can ill-afford to take too many risks. While Lacazette is an exciting name, the Frenchman’s inexperience on these shores makes him a gamble.
Though Berahino is a touch more expensive, he is well versed in the arts of the Premier League. Having notched 20 goals across all competitions last season, the 22-year old is pretty much bound to guarantee goals should he arrive.
Though a reported £25m asking price may sound like an expensive outlay, the money his goals could earn the club is surely worth over triple that.
STATEMENT OF INTENT
This summer, Mike Ashley finally loosened the purse strings and afforded McClaren around £50m, and the double raid already secured this month has taken his spending to around £70m. Usually, that would come over the course of a couple of years at St. James’ Park.
The Sports Direct tycoon spoke of a need to change at the end of last season and has so far backed up his word. Securing an England hopeful, someone the Geordie faithful can recognise and relate with, would finally give the fans something to shout about.
Not only that, it would give the Toon’s relegation rivals something to fear. On his day, he is one of the best forwards in the league, something other teams in the scrap could only dream about.
Jermain Defoe’s hat-trick for Sunderland over Swansea highlighted exactly what having a top marksman to aid you during a battle to beat the drop can do. Surely that should only fuel Newcastle’s desire to land Berahino.