Why West Brom should sign Jacob Murphy from Newcastle United
According to a report in Express and Star, Championship side West Bromwich Albion are interested in signing Newcastle winger Jacob Murphy on loan for the rest of this season. The 23-year-old has only played three times in the Premier League this season and is clearly down the pecking order at St. James’ Park despite the Magpies’ struggles up front.
Meanwhile, the Baggies are keen to bring Murphy to the Hawthorns to probably replace Harvey Barnes, who was called back by his parent club Leicester City half-way through his loan spell.
Oliver Burke is now out on loan at Celtic for the rest of the season, hence, it is clear that Darren Moore’s men require reinforcements in the forward line.
Here’s why getting Jacob Murphy could be the right move for them going into the second part of this crucial campaign:
Murphy’s attributes could serve Albion well
Predominantly a winger who can play on either side, Murphy can be a real threat playing as a number 10 as well, just like Harvey Barnes. He joined Newcastle from Norwich City in 2017 for £12m, just after a successful season in the Championship (2016/17 campaign). The 23-year-old scored nine goals and supplied six assists for the Canaries that season.
Just like we witnessed against Bolton last week, Darren Moore was force-handed to play Dwight Gayle and Hal Robson-Kanu on the wings, with Jay Rodriguez leading the line. West Brom need someone who can provide the spark in the wide areas with direct running with the ball and cause trouble to the opposition defences.
Jacob Murphy is exactly the kind of player who can hug the touchline, pick up possession, drive at the full-back and cross into the box. He also has the propensity to dribble past two or three people and cut inside to create space for a shot towards goal.
All in all, the Englishman is a terrifying prospect for any defence, especially having seen what he did for Norwich in the Championship couple of years ago. The Baggies could get a player who can make the difference for them as they seek to return to Premier League football a year after getting relegated.
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They are just three points behind the automatic promotion spots, and are one of the favourites to compete in the play-offs at the end of this season. Getting Murphy would enhance their chances of playing top-flight football next year.