Newcastle United Opinion: Magpies should sign Loris Benito for free
According to The Sun, Newcastle United are interested in signing BSC Young Boys defender Loris Benito on a free transfer this summer, with manager Rafael Benitez reportedly looking to bolster his options at left-back.
The Sun also understands that Watford and Burnley are closely monitoring the progress of the 27-year-old, with a view to a potential move in the summer, while Serie A giants Inter Milan and Ligue 1 outfit Bordeaux also keen on securing the services of the thrice-capped Swiss international.
Benito featured in Young Boys’ historic 2-1 victory over Juventus in the group stages of the UEFA Champions League earlier in the season. He has made a total of 39 appearances for the Swiss champions in all competitions this season, scoring once and assisting a further 6 in the process.
A youth product of Swiss club FC Aarau, Benito had successful stints at his boyhood club and FC Zurich before moving to Benfica back in 2014. However, his time in the Portuguese top-flight wasn’t a successful one and he returned back to his homeland with BSC Young Boys after featuring mostly for Benfica’s reserve side.
To put things into perspective, Newcastle can certainly do with another left-back in their ranks heading into the upcoming season. The Magpies signed Antonio Barreca on loan from Monaco in January but a substitute appearance in a 1-0 defeat away at Spurs early in February has been his only involvement so far.
Hence, it is quite clear that the Italian is not going to stay at Tyneside beyond the current season and the Magpies would need to look at other options if they really need more cover at left-back.
Newcastle’s links with Loris Benito is unlikely to create too much noise amongst the fans at St.James’ Park but securing his services on a free transfer won’t do them much harm. Rafael Benitez has preferred a back-three system more often than not, with Matt Ritchie and DeAndre Yedlin playing as wing-backs on either side.
Yedlin has had a decent campaign but Ritchie has really been one of the standout performers of the campaign for the Magpies.
However, the former Bournemouth man can be more useful when used in a more advanced role as an out-and-out winger. Newcastle can certainly benefit themselves by playing him further up the pitch but they would need to bring in a specialist left-back for that purpose.
Ciaran Clark has featured occasionally at centre-back but the Irishman doesn’t have the attributes to play as a wing-back, while Paul Dummett, though very reliable defensively, doesn’t contribute much to the attack.
Loris Benito is someone who contributes equally to both attack and defence, which should make him a perfect fit for the left wing-back role in Newcastle’s system. Moreover, he is still only 27, meaning that the Magpies can look at him as a long-term fix.
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Newcastle have managed to steer themselves away from the relegation zone under the stewardship of Rafael Benitez this season but they should look to challenge for better things next term.
They need adequate depth in all areas of their squad for that matter and signing Benito for free won’t eat into their transfer budget either. So, it is a move that Newcastle can certainly look forward to.
