Last summer, Newcastle United looked to the bosman market in a bid to cut costs in the transfer window and with the covid-19 pandemic still very much having an impact on the club’s transfer kitty, this is something that they will probably look to do again this summer.
Ryan Fraser and Jeff Hendrick were the two players brought into the club on free transfers. Neither has been a successful signing with Fraser showing glimpses of quality but injuries rendering him unavailable and Hendrick proving himself to be one of the worst midfielders in the whole division.
Newcastle will have to look to do the same this time around and here are some of the best options available to Steve Bruce and his recruitment team.
Christian Benteke
The Andy Carroll replacement.
Benteke find himself out of contract at Crystal Palace in the summer and is an option that a host of Premier League sides might find themselves looking at.
In Callum Wilson, the magpies have a top quality striker but with his injury record, it is important to have a good backup option. This is something our current crop of understudies have struggled with.
Dwight Gayle looks set to be handed a new contract but Andy Carroll’s current deal will end this summer and Benteke is surely just a better, more mobile version of Carroll.
Furthermore, the Belgian international has shown that he still has what it takes to score goals at this level and is currently on a hot run of form with three goals in his last three.
That kind of form could see the Eagles be persuaded into handing him a new deal but at the moment, his deal expires at the end of June.
Ryan Bertrand
Southampton have announced that left back Ryan Bertrand will be leaving the club this summer.
The 31-year old would be a welcome addition to Steve Bruce’s squad in an area that isn’t the most stocked.
Jamal Lewis was brought to Tyneside from Norwich with high expectations but he has struggled to make an impact. Paul Dummett is the other recognised left sided full back but recent performances have shown he has more useful in the heart of the defence as he doesn’t posses the attacking flair that the modern day full back needs to have.
Matt Ritchie has been playing left wing back of late and it is a role that he has excelled in but signing Bertrand would not only give cover but give Bruce the option to switch things up and go to a back four.
Jetro Willems
Another left back option that the Magpies may look towards.
This is a deal that would go down very well on Tyneside, with the Dutchman establishing himself as a popular figure on Tyneside during his loan spell spent with the club.
In the current system that we are operating in, Willems would be a great addition. He did fantastically well for United as a left wing back and if this is the way we are going to go; then Willems and Ritchie would be great depth.
The link up he enjoyed with Allan Saint-Maximin was a joy to behold and this is a deal that would excite the Toon Army.
Josh King
A player that United have been linked with on more than one occasion.
King’s contract at Goodison Park expires this summer and with the forward struggling to make an impact on Merseyside, it seems unlikely that they will look to keep him there.
The 29-year old enjoyed a long spell with Bournemouth and along with current Toon players Matt Ritchie, Callum Wilson and Ryan Fraser was part of the Cherries’ side in the Premier League.
Since signing for the Toffees, he has played just 11 times; with the majority coming from the bench and he has failed to register a goal.
Andros Townsend
Another former Magpie on the list.
Toon fans were gutted when Townsend decided he didn’t want to be part of Rafa Benitez’s side and help get the club back into the top flight, instead opting to join Alan Pardew at Crystal Palace after they had met his relegation release clause.
He was a breath of fresh air at Newcastle and his wonderful free kick scored against his current employers will live long in the memory.
Townsend has not been quite as good for Palace but at 29, he still has more than enough to offer and could be a very useful squad player.