da brdice： According to reports in The Chronicle, Newcastle United manager Rafa Benitez could be ready to offload Aleksandar Mitrovic during the January transfer window.
da esport bet： The Serbia international arrived at St James’ Park from Anderlecht in 2015 with a decent goalscoring record in Belgium and for his country, but his poor temperament has certainly overshadowed his spell with the Magpies.
The 23-year-old has already missed three of his club’s Premier League matches this season after he was retrospectively handed a three-match ban for elbowing West Ham United’s Manuel Lanzini.
The centre-forward is Rafa Benitez’s third-choice in that position right now – behind Joselu and Dwight Gayle – and he has played a total of just 30 minutes in the top flight this term, with his future looking to be in serious doubt in the New Year.
Meanwhile, after a promising start to their Championship campaign Leeds have lost six of their last eight league games, and manager Thomas Christiansen could look to strengthen his attacking options when the transfer window opens.
Here are three reasons the Yorkshire outfit should make a January move for Mitrovic…
Competition up top
Both Leeds owner Andrea Radrizzani and manager Thomas Christiansen knew that they needed to act at the end of the summer transfer window following the departure of Chris Wood to Burnley, but they might not have done enough to replace the goals the New Zealand international brought to the team with the signings they made.
With Caleb Ekuban missing the majority of the campaign through injury and Jay-Roy Grot and Pawel Cibicki struggling to make an impact, it has been left up to Hamburg loanee Pierre-Michel Lasogga to get the goals.
While he has netted a repspectable five times in nine Championship games, the 25-year-old has sometimes lacked the mobility and stamina to effectively play on his own in the 4-2-3-1 formation, and signing Mitrovic would certainly provide the German with some much-needed competition.
The fans would love him
While he may not be too popular with Newcastle boss Rafa Benitez because of the mistakes he has made and the naivety he has sometimes shown on the pitch, the St James’ Park faithful still love him.
The Serbia international is passionate, willing to battle and he has an almost cult-hero status among the supporters, and there is no doubt that he would effortlessly make that transition to the Leeds fans if he joined the Championship outfit.
The Yorkshire outfit’s supporters are known for their backing and loyalty, and their potential relationship could prove to be a match made in heaven and one that proves to be the catalyst of their promotion push in the second half of the season.
Point to prove
If Mitrovic does depart Newcastle in the New Year, he will certainly have a big point to prove at his next club.
Despite the problems with his discipline, the 23-year-old will probably feel that he hasn’t been given the opportunities he has perhaps deserved considering he has scored 10 goals in 36 Premier League games in total for the Tyneside outfit, with many of those coming when the Magpies were struggling at the bottom of the table.
With the 2018 World Cup just around the corner and with Serbia qualifying automatically, the centre-forward will want to be playing regularly and finding the net on a consistent basis and that would only prove to be a benefit for a potential suitor like Leeds.
Do you agree, Leeds fans? Let us know below.