Newcastle United continued their spending spree as the club signed Matt Ritchie from Premier League club Bournemouth for a fee which is reported to be £12 million. The 26-year-old Scottish winger might have stepped down to a lower league but that does not mean he cannot be one of the best players in the Championship, after all, he did win the league a couple of seasons ago.
Rafa Benitez certainly is making a decent team for the battle to win promotion next season and with a few stars certain to leave St. James’ Park, Ritchie would certainly have a huge role to play for the Magpies.
The 26-year-old played on both sides of attack for Bournemouth in the last Premier League season and that is to be expected of him this time around as well. Ritchie might not be the greatest winger in the Premier League but he is certainly effective.
What does Ritchie bring to the table for Newcastle United?
The Scottish star made 38 appearances in the league for Eddie Howe’s team and also bagged four goals while providing six assists. His greatest strength seems to be his ability to provide telling crosses into the box and seeing as to how Championship football is played, this trait of Ritchie’s would certainly come in very handy for Rafa Benitez.
The former Bournemouth and Pompey star also is known for his shooting ability and his accuracy, though he isn’t the most prolific at scoring goals, he does have a habit of creating a number of chances for the forwards.
Ritchie is also adept at holding the ball and bringing in other players to the play, perfect for the Championship kind of football where defenders are willing to get stuck and well, the pitches aren’t of Premier League standards as well.
Certainly the crossing aspect of Ritchie would help strikers such as Aleksandar Mitrovic thrive but the Scottish winger isn’t just always about putting the ball into the box. His set-piece delivery is another great trait that he possesses and that should be reason enough to play him regularly in the Newcastle team this season.
The Magpies seem to be playing their cards right this time around and even though they seem set to lose out on some big players come the start of this season, signings like Ritchie and Dwight Gayle could still turn out to be great deals as the club looks to bounce back from relegation at the first time of asking.
Rafa Benitez seems to have trust on Ritchie’s abilities and that should be enough for any Newcastle fan to accept that Ritchie would be good in the grand scheme of things.