OPINION
Rafa Benitez would significantly improve Newcastle’s chances of avoiding Premier League relegation with the signing of Real Madrid ace Fabio Coentrao.
Spanish newspaper AS claim the 29-year-old is set to leave Zinedine Zidane’s side this summer after making just six senior appearances all season for the Champions League winners.
Here, This Is Futbol analyses three reasons why the Toon would avoid an instant return to the Championship by signing the 51-time Portugal international.
Cut-price deal
Zidane is looking to offload Coentrao and is said to be close to securing a deal that would see him join Sporting Lisbon this summer. With Marcelo remaining Real’s undisputed first choice and Nacho coming through the ranks, Coentrao will be offloaded and could be sent on a free transfer as Zidane looks to clear the decks and remove the Portuguese defender’s pay cheque from the wage bill. That could see Newcastle sign Coentrao for a much cheaper price than the £25million Real paid Benfica back in 2011.
Benitez reunion
Newcastle boss Benitez could reunite himself with the flying left-back this summer, after working with Coentrao for a brief period during the summer of 2015 before he allowed Coentrao to move on loan to Monaco towards the end of the 2015 summer transfer window. His relationship with the full-back in the past may prove crucial in helping the Toon secure the signature of the former Benfica star, with his future at the Santiago Bernabeu set to be no more. Coentrao may want to strike that relationship once again, joining Benitez as the Magpies look to avoid a dogfight at the bottom of England’s top tier.
Left-back problem area
The left side of defence is a weak point for Newcastle, at the moment. Paul Dummett has proved to be inconsistent at left-back during the Toon’s Championship-winning campaign, showing he is capable of losing his concentration and being beaten by second-division wingers. Achraf Lazaar’s future is in doubt at St. James’ Park, while Massadio Haidara made only his first league appearance for 19 months in Newcastle’s final match of the season on May 7 – last featuring on October 18 2015 against Norwich in the Premier League. Bringing in a proven top-flight left-back this summer must be a priority of Benitez’s transfer plans, and Coentrao would be perfect for the Toon.