Why Newcastle should plot a summer move for Said Benrahma and ease goalscoring woes

According to the Telegraph, Newcastle United are interested in signing Brentford forward Said Benrahma this summer.

Said Benrahma, 24, has been at second-tier side Brentford since arriving from French club OGC Nice in 2018. The Algerian is one of the most exciting players in the Championship and his partnership with Bryan Mbeumo and Ollie Watkins has proved fruitful at Brentford, with the trio scoring 44 goals in England’s second-tier this season.

The 24-year-old has scored 10 league goals and provided six assists, helping the Bees to fifth place in the table.

Newcastle United, meanwhile, made just loan signings during the January transfer window, adding the likes of Nabil Bentaleb, Valentino Lazaro and Danny Rose to the squad. However, Steve Bruce failed to address the biggest problem of his team – lack of goals.

The Toon Army have managed only 24 goals in 28 league games so far. Joelinton has managed just one goal in 28 league appearances since his move from Hoffenheim. He has struggled royally to live up to the expectations of the Newcastle United fans so far. Other than Joelinton, strikers Dwight Gayle, Andy Carroll and Yoshinori Muto haven’t scored a single goal in the league.

To put things into perspective, the Magpies still lack a prolific forward in their ranks and Steve Bruce must make it a top priority to sign one in the summer. To that end, he must go for Said Benrahma, who has been a consistent performer for Brentford since arriving from French football two years back.

He has managed just three international caps so far and injury meant that he was not a part of the squad that won the Africa Cup of Nations last year in Egypt. The 24-year-old forward bagged 11 goals and 17 assists last season and has enhanced his reputation further this campaign with a series of impressive displays for Thomas Frank’s side.

Last month Benrahma stated that his dream is to take part in the Premier League – and did not rule out a summer move (h/t BBC). Newcastle could certainly use a creative outlet like Benrahma and he would improve Steve Bruce’s side a lot. He can play on either flank and will add flair and goals to the side.

Read more

• Why signing Emmanuel Dennis would solve Newcastle’s attacking woes
• Why Newcastle should make a move for Moses Simon in the summer
• Why Newcastle United must make a move for Blackburn’s Adam Armstrong

The Algerian has proven himself in the Championship in Brentford colours. Benrahma has shown that he has the tools to succeed at the highest level and this is the right time for him to make the step up to the Premier League.

Verdict

The Brentford star would bring a lot of quality to Bruce’s attack, whilst adding depth to the squad. All in all, Newcastle should definitely attempt to sign him from the Bees this summer.