John Barnes: This is what Newcastle must do if they get promoted
By Matt Farr
Ex-Newcastle striker John Barnes has urged the club to buy the right players in the summer if they get promoted to the Premier League.
That means looking in every territory, not just concentrating on English players.
Newcastle are firmly on course to seal immediate promotion back to the top tier following their relegation last season.
They are ahead of rivals Brighton at the top of the Championship on goal difference with nine games remaining in the campaign.
But Barnes has warned the club ahead of a potential flurry of transfer activity in the summer, insisting they must only buy players that are good enough to improve the squad, regardless of their experience.
When asked if Newcastle should sign players with Premier League experience, he told HITC Sport:
“Good players, no matter where they play, whether they play in England, whether they play in Italy, Germany, Spain, and it is a question of the players they can get.
“There is no point getting English players if they are not good enough, no point getting Italian players if they are not good enough. It doesn’t matter where they come from.
“They just have to be good enough to fulfil their aspirations, and Newcastle are an ambitious club, so I am sure they will do okay.”
Rafa Benitez could be the man making the decisions in the transfer market this summer, but his immediate plan will be to avoid making the same mistakes as his predecessors.
Alan Pardew, Steve McClaren and John Carver were all guilty of making poor signings during their time at St. James’ Park.
The likes of Facundo Ferreyra, Xisco, Remy Cabella and Emmanuel Riviere were all brought in to boost Newcastle’s hopes of Premier League success, but struggled to perform in England.
Benitez, on the other hand, has hade a little more success with his own new recruits, with Dwight Gayle proving to be a particularly inspired purchase.
The 27-year-old has scored 21 goals in all competitions since arriving at the club from Crystal Palace at the start of the season, and is currently second-best in the goalscoring charts in the Championship this term.
In other Newcastle transfer news, this international goalkeeper has confirmed he will be at the club next summer.
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