OPINION
Newcastle United are reportedly considering a loan move for Napoli forward Simone Verdi, but Rafa Benitez cannot afford for his side to gamble in their transfer dealings this winter.
The Magpies desperately need to find a reliable source of goals if they are to move clear of safety in the second half of the season. Salomon Rondon has done a fairly decent job since arriving on loan from West Brom, but has received little help from his teammates in the goalscoring department.
Yoshinori Muto has been underwhelming and is now away on Asian Cup duties, while Joselu has been nothing short of woeful.
According to TuttoNapoli, the north east outfit have already made moves ahead of January to help this situation, with a loan request for four-cap Italian international Verdi as a solution to their striking problems, but Benitez must resist the temptation to take such a huge gamble.
The 26-year-old has struggled with injury so far this campaign, and has scored just the one goal.
Last season, admittedly, he looked fairly prolific for Bologna, firing in a respectable 10 goals, but for the majority of his career he has failed to record the sort of numbers that Newcastle really need.
There’s no saying that Verdi wouldn’t come alive on Tyneside, but Benitez can’t afford the risk, and if it is a matter of frugality, then his side could pay the price for the stinginess shown by the Magpies.
A lack of firepower has been a serious problem, and if they cannot sort it in January then the season could well end in tears – Verdi is not the solution.