Speaking in his column in The Chronicle, ex-NUFC striker Mick Quinn has revealed that he’d be looking at Liverpool’s Daniel Sturridge and Atletico Madrid’s Fernando Torres if he was Rafa Benitez, urging the Spaniard to look at the out of favour pair during the January window to solve our goalscoring woes.
After scoring just 14 goals in 15 games, putting the ball in the back of the net has clearly been our biggest problem this season.
Gayle initially looked out of sorts, Joselu looks shot for confidence in front of goal and Mitrovic does not appear to be in Benitez’s plans, meaning the emphasis has been firmly placed on signing a new striker this winter to steer us clear of the drop zone.
Quinn, who scored 57 goals in 110 games on Tyneside, had this to say to The Chronicle when discussing which striker he’d like to see Benitez sign next month:
“Two players I’d be looking at are Daniel Sturridge and Fernando Torres.
“Neither are likely to play during the second half of the season at their current clubs, so they could become available.
“Sturridge for one is a natural goal-scorer. If he plays regularly and stays fit, he’ll score you plenty of goals.
“If he wants to make that England squad for the World Cup, he has to leave Liverpool. At Newcastle, he would be just about guaranteed games.
Quinn then turned his attentions to Torres, feeling the experienced ex-Liverpool forward may do well if he was reunited with Rafa – however concedes that wages could be a real issue for both players:
“The same is true of Torres. Once Diego Costa officially signs in January, Torres will be fourth-choice striker. Surely he would prefer a reunion with Rafa over that.
“But, if a takeover doesn’t happen, then the issue for both could be whether Newcastle can afford the wages.”
Given their lack of game-time, Quinn makes a valid point in saying that both could be available this winter, but whether they could be seen as a realistic options for us is a totally different matter.
Both may excite sections of NUFC fans if they were to be signed in January, however I would put both in the bracket of ‘highly unlikely’ at present, unfortunately.
The chances of new owners being in place by January are dwindling by the day and there is no way Ashley would pay £15m (at least) plus a big wage packet for the likes of Sturridge. The ageing Fernando Torres wouldn’t demand a big fee, but I’d imagine his wage demands are pretty big.
Realistically, Rafa is going to be working on a real budget once again, so loan moves for the likes of Liverpool’s Danny Ings seems far more likely.
We shall see, but don’t be banking on Rafa bringing in Sturridge or Torres this winter!
