Newcastle Spending £15m on Middlesbrough's Daniel Ayala Is Utter Madness
"?The scramble by Newcastle United to sign new players to take them back to the Premier League is understandable.
So too is their willingness to pay top flight money for second tier talent - just see the rumours surrounding Fulham striker Ross McCormack - but the Magpies do not have an endless pot of money and must use it wisely.
Which is why splashing out £15m for Middlesbrough defender Daniel Ayala is madness, and should not be considered by United.
The "?Gazette recently reported that Benitez is interested in the 25-year-old, who clearly has ability after being named in the Football League Team of the Season, as well as being awarded the PFA Fans' Championship Player of the Season gong.
This price will almost certainly be inflated by the fact that Boro have only just returned to the top flight after a seven year absence, and will not want to let their key players move before the new season has even begun.
Benitez can find better value than Ayala in markets both at home and abroad. Yes, the defender ticks a number of boxes that the Spaniard requires: he has vast Championship experience and is proven to operate at a high level in the league.
However, the price is restrictive and the Magpies would be better off concentrating on players that offer more value for money and who have shown they can operate well at a level above the English second tier.
They should look towards leagues like the Dutch Eredivisie, where players such as Terence Kongolo and Joel Veltman have had good seasons, have the requisite international experience and would almost certainly cost less than Ayala.
Both of those defenders also come with experience of European competitions, and come with the potential to improve as the club moves back up to the Premier League.
However, it is still encouraging that the United board is looking seriously at people who have performed well in the second tier. It's also encouraging that Benitez is being trusted, and is being given money to spend on players that don't fit the traditional Mike Ashley mold. In this context, though, he would be better off looking at other alternatives.
Comments
This article has 0 comment(s) , give your comment