According to reports in the Sunderland Echo, new Sunderland manager Chris Coleman wants to bring promising Liverpool youngster Ben Woodburn to the Stadium of Light on loan during the January transfer window.
Tuesday night’s 2-1 defeat against Aston Villa at Villa Park left the Mackems rooted to the foot of the Championship table and four points from safety, and Coleman will surely be looking to add to his squad in the New Year.
The Sunderland Echo says he is keen on Woodburn if Jurgen Klopp is ready to let the 18-year-old leave on a temporary basis, and he certainly knows the attacking player well having given him his Wales debut in September, and then five more caps before he quit last week.
Meanwhile, Newcastle have made a mixed start to their Premier League campaign with four wins and six defeats in their opening 12 matches this term, and manager Rafa Benitez may be looking to add to his attacking options in January with his side scoring just 11 times.
While the business he does could depend on whether a takeover goes through before the window opens, bringing in Woodburn could prove to be a shrewd move.
Here are three reasons Newcastle should hijack Sunderland’s bid to sign the Welshman on loan…
Attacking depth
Rafa Benitez has primarily stuck with a front four of Joselu, Christian Atsu, Ayoze Perez and Matt Ritchie – although that has changed slightly in recent matches – so far this season, and it is mainly because he doesn’t have an abundance of options in those attacking areas.
While Aleksandar Mitrovic is out of favour, the likes of Jacob Murphy and Dwight Gayle are struggling to make the required impact despite their improved showings in the defeat to Manchester United on Saturday.
It means that Benitez is likely to target new attackers in January and the versatile Woodburn – who usually plays on the left wing but has also featured on the right, as a central attacking midfielder and even in a deeper midfield role – could be the ideal addition.
His qualities
Woodburn is quick, good with either foot and has a keen eye for a goal and an assist – he has scored eight times and provided a further eight assists in 18 Premier League 2 appearances during his young career.
However, it is the impact he makes on the pitch and the fact that he doesn’t seem to be fazed at any situation that is perhaps most impressive, and he scored on just his second appearance for the Reds against Leeds United in the League Cup last term, while he netted from 25 yards on his Wales debut in a 2018 World Cup qualifier against Austria.
In that respect, Benitez certainly wouldn’t have any qualms about selecting the 18-year-old to perform in front of 52,000 fans at St James’ Park.
Rafa’s relationship with Liverpool
While Coleman knows Woodburn well having worked with him in the Wales setup, Benitez’s relationship with Liverpool in the past could work in his favour if the 18-year-old is made available for loan.
Reds boss Jurgen Klopp may also prefer for the teenager to get some game time in the Premier League rather than in the Championship in order to aid his development, and that could see Newcastle beat their arch-rivals to the exciting young forward.
Do you agree, Magpies fans? Let us know below.
