OPINION
Nice striker Alassane Plea has signed for Borussia Monchengladbach in a reported club record £22million deal (Mirror Live Blog, 12.14) and it represents a massive missed opportunity for Newcastle.
The official confirmation was made by Borrusia Monchengladbach’s official Twitter page on Friday lunchtime.
? Bienvenue, @alassane_plea! ? pic.twitter.com/Xkxf91cd6n
— Borussia (@borussia) July 13, 2018
Newcastle are in desperate need of a striker and had been widely linked with a move for Plea, with an offer reportedly rejected for £20million.
Plea was a man in demand and Nice were in no mood to sell him cheaply.
But, if the report is true, and he’s gone for £22million, then Newcastle could have missed out on their top summer target for the sake of £2million.
In the real world that’s a huge sum of money. In the Premier League it’s literally a drop in a crazy ocean.
We don’t know for sure that’s the reason they didn’t manage to bag Plea, but there was no follow-on report with news of an improved offer from Newcastle. And we know that £20million is on the upper fringes of what Rafa Benitez can afford this summer.
But, if they could have landed him for £2million more, this will go down as one of the biggest clangers in the summer transfer window. Plea will deliver goals wherever he goes.
Now Newcastle still need a striker and time’s running out.