Why Newcastle United must move on from Aleksandar Mitrovic even after his brilliant form for Fulham
Newcastle United let out-of-favour striker Aleksandar Mitrovic join Championship outfit Fulham on a loan in the recently concluded January window.
The deal proved to be an eye-opener for a lot of fans since the Serbian has worked wonders for Slavisa Jokanovic’s men, despite struggling throughout the season for the Magpies. Now, with the upcoming summer window, there have been questions as to whether or not Newcastle should bring him back or just sell him permanently.
Solely based on the contrasting performances he has put up, it might be safe to say that Newcastle are better off without him. For whatever reason, his stint with the club has not worked out and it is not just this season that he has failed to do well.
Be it the tactics or the general work ethic of the club, Mitrovic seems to be enjoying life at Fulham and the results are quite evident on the field. He has scored 7 goals in just 8 games for the Cottagers and there is no doubt that they will be eyeing a permanent deal for him.
Now, the only stumbling block for Fulham would be the price. They could attempt to sign him on a long-term basis if they can somehow manage to seal a spot in the top-flight. But if they continue in the Championship next season as well, they might not be able to match the Serbian’s transfer fee.
Be that as it may, in my opinion, there is absolutely no doubt that Newcastle would be looking to offload him this summer – either to Fulham or to another club.
After his stellar displays at Craven Cottage, it has become evident that the player does not lack potential and if Fulham fail to sign him this summer, other clubs are likely to be interested in him. In that case, Newcastle must definitely sanction the sale and cash in on the 23-year-old.
Despite spending quite a lot of time with the Magpies, Mitrovic just failed to get things going and considering the tough spot they find themselves in, a player like that is simply not enough.
Currently gracing the 13th spot in the league standings, Rafa Benitez’s men stand a pretty good chance of ensuring they survive the drop and if they do that, next season will prove to be all the more crucial for the manager as well as the club. Hence, in a situation like that, they will need an attacker they can rely on and from what we have seen, Mitrovic is just not the right player for them.