To say Newcastle’s Championship campaign has been a little underwhelming thus far would be stating the obvious. The Magpies are no longer clear favourites for England’s second tier top prize and now have to prevent dropping into the playoff zone.
The Benitez-led side could yet get back to their impressive best with the winter transfer window offering a lot of hope. Recruiting quality additions to help do exactly just that would provide the team with much-needed depth, and the wing remains one of such areas that could do with some signings.
Here are 3 wingers Newcastle can target in order to add width to a lineup deficient of explosive wingers.
Max Gradel
This Bournemouth winger is a player with a lot of experience under his belt. The former Leicester City and Ivory Coast forward has 5 years of Championship experience and 4 years of Ligue 1 experience and very much has a lot to offer.
But he hasn’t been played regularly this season, making all his 5 Premier League appearances till date as a sub. This lack of playing time sure wouldn’t be going down well with him, and a loan move to Newcastle wouldn’t be something he would object to.
Newcastle are at least certain of returning to the Premier League at the end of the season, and that could be appealing. In his last season in the Championship with Leeds United, Gradel scored 18 goals in 41 games, and the prowess continued 4 seasons later when he bagged 17 Ligue 1 goals in 31 games for Saint-Étienne.
His inconsistent fitness issues have seen him struggle for form, but he has proven to be such a handful on the wings whenever fit. He is now, but he isn’t getting enough time to prove himself again. This great dribbler, crosser and set-piece specialist can sure give Atsu, Ritchie and Gouffran a run for the money.