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We asked fans will Newcastle buy a striker who will score more goals next season than Mitro for Fulham? Result now in

6 years ago
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The question we asked yesterday was: ‘Will Newcastle buy a striker who will score more goals next season than Aleksandar Mitrovic for Fulham?’

The Serbian international at last completed his transfer to Craven Cottage on Monday for a reported £22m, which it is claimed could rise to £27m if hitting certain targets.

This wasn’t a debate about whether or not Mitrovic should or shouldn’t have been sold, or whether he could/would have scored goals if he had stayed at St James Park.

Instead, it was whether fans are confident Newcastle United / Rafa Benitez will be able to bring in a striker in these next eight days, who is capable of scoring more goals than Mitro will do for Fulham this coming season?

Last season, Newcastle’s top Premier League scorer was Ayoze Perez with eight, then Dwight Gayle on six.

So will Yoshinori Muto be able to outscore Aleksandar Mitrovic, once his work permit clears?

Alternatively, will Salomon Rondon (or whoever else comes in – if anybody…) be able to outdo Mitrovic in the goals department in 2018/19?

So how confident are Newcastle supporters that the amount of money available and/or Rafa’s expertise, will give Newcastle a good enough goalscorer for the season ahead?

The votes are now counted up and the answer is that the fans are…not confident at all.

The result i: 80% of Newcastle fans voting don’t think Newcastle will have a striker capable of scoring more goals than Mitrovic will for Fulham, with only 20% believing that NUFC/Rafa will be able to recruit somebody by 5pm next Thursday who will be able to outscore the Serbian.

Fair to say, it is pretty hard for anybody to accuse the Newcastle United fanbase of being delusional these days…

Sometimes you can find bargains but when it comes to strikers, it is very rare.

Every club is looking for players who do the hardest job, scoring goals, and it is the one position where it is very easy to measure their success, in that area that is by far their most important job.

In other words, the more goals a striker has scored in the past, the more you end up paying for them, and/or the potential they have to score them in the future.

Last summer Newcastle bought a striker (Joselu) who had never scored double figures in a league season, he turns 29 this coming season so not like he was a young striker who would suddenly improve, he ended up scoring four goals.

Only the truly delusional would have expected many more, considering in his previous two seasons he had managed five in La Liga for Deportivo and four for Stoke in the Premier League.

If Salomon Rondon does sign, you can’t really overlook the fact that in three Premier League seasons he has scored nine, eight, and seven goals.

Whilst Yoshimori Muto has managed seven, five, and eight goals in these past three Bundesliga seasons.

The bottom line is that the more money you spend, the more goals you generally stand a chance of getting in return.

If Newcastle United have sold Aleksandar Mitrovic for £22m, which could rise to £27m, then surely at the very least Rafa Benitez should have been backed to buy a striker at a minimum of £22m.

As fans we will of course support any new signing but £9.5m for Muto and £16.5m (at the very maximum) for Rondon, doesn’t suggest a giant leap forward.

If once again Newcastle United’s top scorer manages just eight goals this coming season, we might not be as lucky this time when it comes to the relegation fight.

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