OPINION
If Newcastle United are to avoid relegation this season they’re going to need goals, and January could be their last chance to find them.
Salomon Rondon has done well since moving to Tyneside from West Brom in preseason, but even the Venezuelan has only registered six strikes.
According to The Sun’s chief football reporter Alan Nixon, posting on his personal Twitter account, Huddersfield Town are eyeing up a January move for Brentford striker Neal Maupay, and Rafa Benitez must make sure that his Magpies beat their relegation rivals to the punch.
The 22-year-old has scored 15 goals in 23 appearances for the struggling Championship side, and has laid on another six for his teammates.
He currently leads the way in the second tier’s goal rankings.
The Frenchman knows what it’s like to be the main source of goals in a side threatened by the drop, and he has coped excellently with the pressure of that role.
A step up to the Premier League halfway through a campaign would be a big ask for the youngster, but there’s nothing to suggest that he wouldn’t thrive if the opportunity presented itself.
In another tweet, Nixon suggested that the Bees were demanding a big fee to part with their star man, but presumably it would not be earth shattering, and Mike Ashley has to be willing to out his hand in his pocket if he wants to keep the club in the top flight.
