Why Carles Alena to Newcastle United would boost their midfield
As per Marca (h/t Chronicle Live), Newcastle United are interested in signing Barcelona midfielder Carles Alena, who is currently on loan at Real Betis, in the summer.
Alena, 22, is a product of the La Masia academy. He has been with the club since 2005 and promoted to Barcelona’s senior squad 2018. A talented midfielder, he featured in a few games this season before moving out on loan to Betis in January.
His rise from the academy level has been a rather swift one. He has also represented Spain at various youth levels and is one of the budding talents in Europe. Though he has not played enough for the Catalans, he was a part of the La Liga winning side last season. Given his potential, Newcastle United should make a move for him in the summer.
The Magpies, meanwhile, have endured a disappointing campaign despite starting the season on a brighter note. Steve Bruce’s men failed to show the competitiveness in the latter stages of the season and have fallen out of the top half of the table.
After just two wins from their last 11 league games, Newcastle United are currently 13th in the league standings. They have also been dumped out of the EFL Cup and their only hope of lifting a trophy is the FA Cup.
One of the major reasons for their downfall is the lack of consistency in front of goal. The strikers have combined to score just 1 goal so far. As a team, they have scored just 25 goals in 29 games which is the lowest in the league so far.
Thus, it is clear that the Magpies boss Bruce needs to reinforce the squad with strikers for the next season. They need to make sure they have the depth and quality in every area to do better in further campaigns.
Alena – A future leader for Newcastle in midfield?
Apart from a striker, they also need to bring in reinforcements to their midfield. Sean Longstaff and Jonjo Shelvey are the only two attack-minded midfielders in the squad, with Nabil Bentaleb and Valentino Lazaro coming on loan spells in January.
Shelvey is their top scorer with 5 goals and the rest of them have not been up to their best. And it is unclear if Lazaro and Bentaleb would stay beyond the summer. Thus, to reinforce their midfield, the Magpies need to bring in youngsters in the summer.
In that regard, signing Alena would be a massive boost for the squad. The Spaniard has already made nearly 40 appearances for the Catalans despite his tender age. Heralded as one of the most exciting young talents to come through La Masia, he has been impressive in the few chances he has received this season.
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Verdict
Newcastle are in dire need of midfielders due to the lack of quality. And Alena would provide them with much-needed depth and quality in the ranks. He is just 22 and could also go on to become a long-term solution, if he is able to replicate the same form. Thus, Newcastle should manage to lure the Spanish U21 international to St. James’ Park in the summer.
