Newcastle tried numerous times in January to sign Fulham’s standout player, Tom Cairney. It didn’t happen in the end and it looks a crucial development now. Here we explore three reasons Newcastle should break the bank to sign Cairney after the season closes:
1. THE OVER-RELIANCE ON JONJO SHELVEY
Often, despite flexing their muscles and topping the league, Newcastle have increasingly relied on a very conservative style. That sort of solid defensive style, relying on their ability on the break to compliment the long range passing prowess of standout player Shelvey, clearly works when the invariably weaker opposition wishes to attack Newcastle from the start. There is often no Plan B however, and a lot more midfield creativity will be needed when Newcastle are back on the big stage to break down better defences.
2. CAIRNEY’S POTENTIAL
Scouts may be needed to spot 14-year-old’s and obscure French players, but they are not required to see the potential Tom Cairney has and this has been all about Benitez’s admiration for the young midfielder. The fact that a manager of Rafa’s class, intellect and experience wanted this player so badly should not be ignored by the NUFC hierarchy. Cairney is a brilliant Championship midfielder but, more to the point, is clearly seen by Benitez as someone who can be a brilliant Premier League midfielder and they should strike while they can before they are completely priced out or he trots off to a Chelsea or a Man City.
3. DON’T IGNORE THE SIGNS!
The smallest margins make a huge difference in football. Not signing Cairney in January didn’t cause too many ripples in the north east to be fair, but it did in March when Fulham came to town. A Cairney signing in this case would have been a win/win for Newcastle – a huge gap left in the Fulham team and a rather large improvement to their own. He even scored a world class goal for Fulham to emphasise the point! A certain Moussa Dembele was Fulham’s best player last year and is now worth £30million and more. Many managers are gutted they didn’t spot someone who was right in front of them this time last year, Newcastle shouldn’t let it happen to them.
Other midfielders will of course, become available when the season ends, but Cairney was clearly Newcastle’s first choice for this position and just because they will most likely be playing at a higher level, it would be a mistake to allow themselves to miss out.