Why Newcastle United must land Valentino Lazaro permanently
According to Chronicle Live, Inter Milan winger Valentino Lazaro is facing crunch talks with Newcastle United next week.
The Austrian international joined Newcastle on loan from the Serie A side during the winter transfer window. He has made a total of 14 appearances for them across all competitions so far.
However, the report also suggests that Lazaro is frustrated and unhappy with his lack of game time since moving to St. James’ Park back in January. The 24-year-old has started only three Premier League games for the Magpies. He has mostly been used as a right-back by manager Steve Bruce despite being more of a right-midfielder.
Lazaro can offer Newcastle United versatility in their ranks
Meanwhile, Newcastle under Bruce have endured a rather mixed season and are currently 13th in the league table. They have conceded as many as 55 goals from their 37 overall league games so far, with the right-back role remaining one of the problem positions for the English boss.
Despite having as many as three right-backs in his squad, the side’s inconsistency at the back has seen Bruce shuffle his squad from time to time. The right-back duties has mostly been shared by Javier Manquillo, DeAndre Yedlin, and summer signing Emil Krafth and at times on-loan winger Lazaro as well.
With manager Bruce struggling to find an established full-back across the right despite enough depth in his squad, letting go of a young talent like Lazaro could hurt the side next season.
Moreover, Lazaro’s versatility to play further ahead in the pitch in a more attacking role makes him a valuable asset to any side, let alone Newcastle.
With 15 goals and 23 assists former side RB Salzburg and 5 goals and 13 assists for Bundesliga outfit Hertha Berlin, Lazaro is not short on experience. That said, Newcastle should just keep more faith in him and offer him more chances next season as he can prove to be a key player for them in the coming years.
Hence, they should try their best to secure his services permanently and bring him back to England ahead of next season.
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Verdict
First of all, it is clear that Newcastle do not have an established right-back in their side and Lazaro has already proved he is capable of playing in that role. Also, he has mostly played as a right midfielder during most of his career, meaning he can offer versatility to Bruce next season if they secure him permanently. This, they should snap him on a permanent basis in the summer.
