According to Daily Mail, Newcastle United are ready to make a move for Clinton N’Jie, who is available on loan.
However, the Magpies could face stiff competition, with Crystal Palace, Burnley and Cardiff also interested in the services of the former Tottenham forward.
Clinton N’Jie: player profile
N’Jie initially moved to England back in 2015, in a €14 million move from Lyon. However, the Cameroonian struggled to make an impact at North London, making just 14 appearances with Tottenham. He was eventually shipped off to Marseille on a permanent deal in the summer of 2017.
This season, the 25-year-old has appeared out of favour under Rudi Garcia, having featured in just over 150 minutes of league action.
N’Jie’s raw pace combined with his quick-feet enables him to drift past defenders, which is truly a fascinating trait for a centre-forward. It also makes him a definite threat from counter-attacks as he normally likes to get in behind the defence.
The 25-year-old struggles a lot in the physical as well as the aerial aspect of the game. During his time at Lyon, the Cameroonian mustered a dribbling accuracy of just 36%, so he needs to use his pace to better effect.
Is N’Jie the right choice?
It goes without that Newcastle have lacked resources in the attacking department this season, having scored just 15 goals in 21 matches.
The likes of Joselu and Ayoze Perez have struggled to find the back of the net on a regular basis and therefore, the addition of N’Jie could revamp Newcastle’s attack.
However, it’s also fair to acknowledge the fact that the 25-year-old struggled to make an impact in the Premier League while he has also failed to replicate his offensive productivity ever since leaving Lyon in 2015.
Even though the Cameroonian is likely to receive a lot of chances under Benitez, especially with Newcastle lacking depth in attack, it is rather unlikely that he would make a difference considering his poor positioning and work-rate.
Therefore, it would be wise for the Magpies to shift their attention to other available candidates, although N’Jie, would no doubt, add more dynamism to the Newcastle attack even if he fails to make a mark in the English top flight.
Stat courtesy: Whoscored