OPINION
Arsenal striker Danny Welbeck has found playing time hard to come by this season, and now the Sun is reporting that the England international is a £10million January transfer target for Crystal Palace.
That is a move that Newcastle United, who Team Talk reported were interested in the player in the summer, should be looking to hijack.
Welbeck’s Arsenal contract is up at the end of the season [Source: Spotrac] and it doesn’t appear as if the Gunners are interested in offering the former Manchester United man a new deal – hence why £10million is considered a realistic fee for the 27-year-old.
Newcastle have struggled this season without a prolific, or even semi-prolific, Premier League goal scorer. Salomon Rondon has battled injuries so far in his Magpies tenure, while Yoshinori Muto and Joselu don’t appear to be regular goal-getters.
A move for Welbeck could help alleviate the team’s struggles in that regard, however. The Englishman has always been a gifted footballer, and he would instantly become the most talented frontman at St James’ Park.
The Arsenal man’s pace and goal scoring nous would add an extra dimension to this Magpies attack, while he would arrive in the North East with a chip on his shoulder having not quite made the grade at Old Trafford or the Emirates Stadium.
Newcastle would have to outmuscle Palace, of course, which could be tricky from a financial standpoint. But there is no doubt that the Magpies offer more in terms of prestige and support than Roy Hodgson’s side.
Despite Saturday’s victory over Watford, Newcastle’s main problem this season remains the attacking side of the game.
Welbeck is about as good of a frontman as the team could ever realistically hope to recruit, and his contract situation and lack of first team football means he would surely be open to a move.
If Newcastle want to get out of trouble this campaign then they cannot let a rival team like Palace snap up a player who could have a transformative effect on Tyneside. Rafael Benitez must act in January to ensure that Welbeck doesn’t escape their clutches.