Newcastle United have announced Steve Bruce as the new manager of the club, replacing Rafa Benitez, who left the club last month after failing to negotiate a new contract extension with owner Mike Ashley.
The new manager will reportedly have £90 million in his transfer kitty ahead of the 2019-20 season, and the club are already closing in on their first signing, Hoffenheim’s Joelinton, who will sign with the Magpies for a fee of around £36 million. That leaves Bruce with around £54 million to sign new players. Who could he sign?
Let’s take a look at 3 players Newcastle United should target.
Charlie Austin
Charlie Austin is an experienced Premier League striker who played the last four seasons with Southampton but is set to leave the club after being banished to the U23 squad by Southampton manager Ralph Hasenhüttl. The Magpies have now been linked with a move for the striker who has scored 20 goals in 76 appearances for the club in the last four seasons. The striker is in the final year of his Southampton contract and could come at a cheap price.
Austin could be the perfect squad player and option off the bench for Bruce as he can be a menace with his physical presence and heading ability.
Diego Laxalt
AC Milan’s Diego Laxalt is for sale and could be available for around €15 million as per recent reports, which would be quite a steal as the Uruguyan is a versatile player who can play all along the left side. A quick and tenacious player, Laxalt has the pace and technical ability to go past defenders while also possessing very good passing ability.
Laxalt is a hard-working player who can contribute in attack and defence, and could be a valuable addition to the Newcastle United squad.
Maxime Gonalons
Another experienced player that the Magpies have been linked with lately is Roma midfielder Maxime Gonalons, who hasn’t featured much for the Italian team. Gonalons is an experienced midfielder who has played over 300 games for Lyon and is a defensive midfielder who would add experience and leadership to the Newcastle midfield.
The Roma midfielder could be affordable for the Magpies and is someone they should make a move for in the remaining days of the window.