Why signing Emmanuel Dennis would solve Newcastle’s attacking woes
According to Belgian media outlet HLN (h/t Chronicle Live), Club Brugge forward Emmanuel Dennis has emerged on the transfer radar of Newcastle United.
The report also suggests that the Magpies and several other Premier League teams have scouted the Nigerian international.
Dennis, 22, started his career with Accademia di Abuja before moving to Ukraine with Zorya Luhansk. In his debut season with the Ukrainian side, he scored 6 goals and that was enough to convince Club Brugge, who signed him in the summer of 2017.
He was impressive in his first season in Belgium, scoring 7 goals in the Jupiler Pro League while providing 4 assists. Though he was not impressive enough in the following campaign, Dennis rose to prominence after his two first-half goals against Real Madrid in the Champions League group stage at the Santiago Bernabeu earlier this season.
The forward has been impressive this year, having already racked up 8 goals and 2 assists. He has been linked to several Premier League clubs earlier including Leicester City, Manchester United, and Brighton, as per Foot Mercato (h/t Leicestershire Live).
Meanwhile, Steve Bruce’s side have endured a rather mixed season and are currently 12th in the league standings after just 8 wins in 25 games. They have been inconsistent, especially with their attacking unit failing to find the back of the net regularly.
Summer signing Joelinton hasn’t lived up to the expectation, scoring just one goal so far while the Magpies have managed to score merely 24 goals in the league. Midfielder Jonjo Shelvey is their top scorer with 5 goals, whereas other strikers like Dwight Gayle, Yoshinori Muto and Andy Carroll haven’t opened their accounts yet.
Therefore, the manager should prioritize strengthening his attacking options as Carroll is entering the last few months of his contract at St. James’ Park. To that end, Emmanuel Dennis would be perfect for their attack.
The 22-year-old is capable of playing in various positions. Predominantly a centre-forward, he has the ability to play on both sides of the pitch. His versatile nature of play would come in handy for the Magpies’ boss, who needs to improve his attacking unit. Dennis has also featured twice for Nigeria.
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Verdict
It is clear that the Magpies need a striker – someone who can support Joelinton upfront.
Therefore, Newcastle must go all out for Dennis and secure his services in the summer.
