Newcastle United should consider signing Shola Ameobi for free
According to The Sun, former Newcastle United striker Shola Ameobi has stated that his playing days are not over despite failing to find a club in the summer. The 36-year-old last played for League Two side Notts County and was released by the club at the end of the 2017/18 campaign.
The 36-year-old has also added that he is looking for a club near Newcastle as it would be more convenient for his family (h/t The Sun).
A product of Newcastle’s youth academy, Shola Ameobi made his debut for the Magpies back in 2000 and went on to score a total of 79 goals in 397 appearances across all competitions over the span of an illustrious career that stretched till 2014. He then had brief stints with Stoke City, Crystal Palace, Bolton Wanderers and Fleetwood Town before joining Notts County in 2017, where he scored 6 goals in 36 appearances across all competitions.
Newcastle United have made a pathetic start to the season and the Magpies find themselves in relegation danger already.
Newcastle might feel hard done by the draw of the Premier League fixtures since they have been up against some top teams in the competition. However, with the kind of intent they have shown so far, it seems to be difficult for them to win games on a consistent basis.
While Rafael Benitez’s ultra-defensive tactics seem to have largely restricted the team’s adventure in the attacking third, questions also have to be asked of the way the Magpies have approached each game. The defensive tactics would have made sense if they tried hitting the opposition on counter-attacks but that hasn’t happened at all. They have just sat back and invited pressure from the opposition.
Newcastle have one of the worst scoring records in the Premier League this season, having scored only 4 goals so far. There has been no build-up play whatsoever and Joselu has cut a rather sorry and isolated figure up front. Although Matt Ritchie, Jacob Murphy and Kennedy have made some effort to influence the game with some pacy runs, their efforts haven’t paid the dividends due to lack of support.
And the fact that Ayoze Perez has squandered some promising chances in front of the goal hasn’t made things any brighter for the Magpies. Summer recruit Yoshinori Muto has hardly made a positive influence in the final third.
Newcastle have also been hit hard by a lack of proper funding in the transfer market. Owner Mike Ashley hasn’t been able to boost his funds enough to set the ball rolling in the summer and as a result, Newcastle couldn’t bring in exciting players.
To put things into perspective, Newcastle need a good striker at a minimal rate and Shola Ameobi wouldn’t be a bad choice for that purpose. The 36-year-old is clearly past his prime but still has the ability to rack up a few goals.
Ameobi was famous neither for his technical abilities nor his dribbling skills but it was his clinical finishing that made him such a potent threat in the final third. His poaching abilities that had helped him bag many goals from inside the six-yard box are not the same anymore but he still has that sharpness to bury clear chances from close-range. The fact that he scored a few goals in the lower division last season shows that his playing days might not be over.
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That said, Newcastle need not wait till January to sign him as he was a free agent even before the transfer deadline day and they should consider welcoming one of their club legends for one last hurrah.
