The Spanish Flavour – Three Spaniards Who Rafael Benitez Should Look To Sign
Newcastle United’s transfer window has been a mixed bag so far. The club have missed out on several top targets in the summer, but still have managed to acquire some promising players with the likes of Jacob Murphy, Mikel Merino, Javier Manquillo and Florian Lejeune coming in, along with Christian Atsu whose loan move was made permanent.
It is interesting to see that there are two Spanish players on the list in Merino and Manquillo, while Lejeune too arrived from the La Liga, indicating that manager Rafael Benitez has been taking an interest in players from his homeland. With several more additions required in the squad in order for them to have a strong return to the Premier League, here we bring you a list of three Spanish players who Benitez and Newcastle should consider signing.
Sergi Enrich (Eibar)
Enrich could turn out be a good addition for Newcastle United in the summer. The Spaniard finished last season with 11 goals and 7 assists in all competitions for Eibar, who finished 10th in the La Liga table. A good finisher and a good passer of the ball, he has shown that he can link up effectively with his teammates in the attacking third and can score and create goals in plenty.
Given Newcastle’s dearth of options at the top, the 27-year old could turn out to be another shrewd purchase for Newcastle from Eibar, having already signed Lejeune from the same club.
Gerard Moreno (Espanyol)
Another centre-forward that Newcastle should definitely consider taking a look at is Espanyol’s 25-year old Gerard Moreno.
The Villarreal academy graduate joined the Catalan outfit back in 2015 and has grown into a very important player for the club in the past two years. The Spaniard finished the 2016/17 season with an impressive tally of 13 goals and 4 assists from 37 La Liga games, helping Espanyol to an 8th-place finish, ending up as the club’s top goal-scorer.
Moreno may be a striker, but he can play as a No.10 as well and has the range of passing and the technical ability to excel in such a role too. Fast, a very good dribbler and adept at playing with his back to the net, he could prove to be the ideal foil for Newcastle’s Dwight Gayle.
Jonathan Viera (Las Palmas)
The 27-year old versatile winger had a strong season for Las Palmas as they finished the season in 14th position in the La Liga standings.
Viera, who can play down the flanks or through the middle as a No.10, finished last season with 7 goals and 9 assists from 33 games in all competitions. An effective outlet from the left-hand side or through the middle, the Spaniard has that knack of opening up defences with needling through balls every now and then and can have a go at the goal from distance.
Newcastle lack a proper No.10 who can provide that incisive edge in the final third and Viera could be the ideal candidate to fill in that role for them, by scoring and create goals in large numbers.