Why Newcastle United should avoid signing Florian Grillitsch
According to Sport Bild (h/t Chronicle Live), Newcastle United are keeping close tabs on Hoffenheim midfielder Florian Grillitsch along with Arsenal and Southampton.
Grillitsch, 24, came through St. Polten and Werder Bremen’s youth system. After making 54 appearances for the latter’s senior team, he moved to Hoffenheim in the summer of 2017. He has been a regular member of the squad in the three years he has been at the club.
In 89 appearances for Hoffenheim, the Austrian has scored just 4 goals and provided 9 assists but he is an integral member of Alfred Schreuder’s squad. However, Newcastle should not make a move for him in the summer.
The Magpies looked to get going strong midway through the season but have currently fallen out of the top half of the table after just one win in their last nine league games. Steve Bruce’s side currently occupy the 14th spot in the league table and need to get better results to move into a higher position.
The major reason for their inconsistency is the lack of goals as the Toon have managed to notch up just 24 goals, which is the joint lowest in the league so far. And the manager should address the issues in the attacking department, first and foremost.
Newcastle have a plethora of midfield talents in their ranks in the likes of Jonjo Shelvey, Isaac Hayden and the Longstaff brothers. Apart from that, they signed Valentino Lazaro and Nabil Bentaleb on loan and they have the option to buy both of them after the loan spell.
In that case, Florian Grillitsch would be surplus to the team. He may not get the opportunity ahead of players already available in Newcastle’s ranks.
Newcastle already have adequate players in the midfield and Bruce could just do well with them in the new campaign. Adding the Hoffenheim man to their squad would result in wasting their resources for a player who may not feature regularly in the presence of the homegrown players.
Read more
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Verdict
Newcastle should, instead activate the purchase option for Bentaleb and Lazaro and add depth to their squad. They are also in dire need of a striker and going into the market for a centre-forward would be good for the Tyneside club.
Therefore, Newcastle should keep their eyes off Grillitsch and bring reinforcements to the key areas on the pitch.
