Why Newcastle shouldn’t accept Stoke City’s offer for Matt Ritchie

Stoke City have offered an astounding £4 million-a-year deal to Newcastle United winger Matt Ritchie for a transfer fee worth £15m. The Scotland international has been told that the Magpies might have to sell him to procure funds to spend this summer.

Manager Rafa Benitez is adamant to improve his current squad in order to perform better in the next season. However, Ritchie was one of the key figures to help Newcastle stay up in the top-flight. Even if the Magpies are lacking financial resources, they wouldn’t be wise to sell one of their crucial players.

Let us take a look at the technical aspect of the player and conclude as to why Benitez will need him next season as well.

In-depth analysis – Matt Ritchie

The Scot has done a terrific job in wide areas, scoring 3 goals and creating 47 chances last season. He has got a demon of a left-foot with which he can do many things on the pitch. The 28-year-old possesses fantastic dribbling skills and is adept at supplying devilish crosses into the box.

Ritchie is one of those players who can play in any position across the frontline. His flexibility helps him roam around during the game and also switch flanks when required.

In Rafa Benitez’s 4-2-3-1 system, the winger was pivotal in making forward runs from wide areas in counter-attacking situations. This created spaces for the striker to run into, as the opponent defenders tried to keep the Scotsman at bay. Ritchie can also contribute defensively, which is quite appreciable under the current management.

Selling him would require signing a new player but it will be tough for the potential recruit to come in and understand Benitez’s structural system. This will only hamper the progress of the team, rather than improving it.

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Verdict

Benitez’s football is quite rigid and structure-based which requires players of a certain genre. Ritchie has done well to perform the role given to him by the manager. Newcastle shouldn’t sell him to gain money for spending. Instead, they need to be more diligent in this window or it could go massively wrong for them.