Why Newcastle must beat Tottenham to sign Cedric Bakambu in January
Tottenham Hotspur are interested in snapping up Beijing Guoan forward Cedric Bakambu, reports the Sun.
The French-born Congolese left Spanish club Villarreal for China in a £35.4million deal in January. Before moving to the cash-rich Chinese Super League, Cedric Bakambu had scored 12 goals in 18 appearances in all competitions for Villarreal.
Bakambu has been prolific in China ever since he made the switch, scoring 19 goals in 23 games for Beijing Guoan. The 27-year-old’s sensational form has interested Tottenham, who have already made contact regarding a potential deal.
But Newcastle United should start keeping an eye on Bakambu’s progress and should try to beat Tottenham to his signature in January.
Newcastle United have made a miserable start to the new Premier League season and after eight games, they are still searching for their first win. Scoring goals has been a mighty problem for the Magpies as the likes of Salomon Rondon, Joselu and Ayoze Perez have underwhelmed in front of the goal.
Rafael Benitez signed Rondon on a season-long loan from West Brom in the summer to bolster his attacking ranks. Rondon played only four Premier League games this season before getting injured. However, the big Venezuelan has been ineffective up front in the games he has played.
Call it Rondon being poor in front of the goal or Benitez’s ultra-defensive tactics, Newcastle have simply failed to produce the goals and rightly lie in the relegation zone. Yoshinori Muto scored in his first league start, in the 3-2 defeat to Manchester United last weekend, demonstrating his qualities that can only be enhanced further with regular game time.
Truth be told, Newcastle need a player alongside Muto – a player in the frame of a target man, someone who can hold the ball up and release Muto. Maybe Benitez signed Rondon for that very reason but the player has failed to live up to the expectations and Benitez must sign another strong forward in January.
Quick, powerful and aerially dominant, Bakambu would fit the bill perfectly at Newcastle. Bakambu started his career in France with Sochaux, where he spent four years before joining Turkish club Bursaspor in 2014. After just one season, he signed for Villarreal and scored 46 goals in three La Liga seasons.
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The French-born Congo international had a decent scoring record for Villarreal and his move to China has only aided his development. The standard of the Chinese Super League is poorer than the European leagues and while signing Bakambu would represent a risk for Newcastle, they should bite the bullet in January.