Is Pepe Reina approaching a move to Rafa Benitez’s Newcastle United?

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Newcastle United have a huge summer of recruitment ahead of them as they attempt to build a squad that is good enough to finish in the top ten of the Premier League. The Sun report that Rafa Benitez is hoping to reunite with goalkeeper Pepe Reina on Tyneside, after previously managing him at Liverpool and Napoli. The Italian club may be open to the idea of selling the shot-stopper following a row between the president and the keeper’s wife on social media after a joke was made at a dinner party regarding Reina’s personal life. The Spaniard would love to have the opportunity to play under Benitez once more as he has a lot of respect for his compatriot.

What would he bring to St James Park?

Reina has experienced everything in the European game and he would be a great addition to a young squad. At times in the Championship, Newcastle lacked organisation and conceded silly goals. The Napoli goalkeeper would help improve their defensive shape and have a good influence on the other goalkeepers at the club. Under Benitez, the Magpies have ambition to compete with the top seven and finally end their trophy drought. They lack players that have experienced winning a trophy in their current squad. The 34-year-old keeper has a winning mentality and would be a smart short-term addition.

A goalkeeper may not be seen as a priority for supporters as Karl Darlow and Rob Elliot have shown themselves to be capable, while Tim Krul is set to return from loan. However, Benitez is a perfectionist and the feeling in the local media is that he isn’t completely satisfied by his current crop of keepers. There hasn’t been one to establish themselves as the number one and the club may choose to dip into the market to bring a more established keeper to St James’ Park. It is also believed that the Magpies boss wants a keeper that is good with his feet and Reina fits that profile. During the past season, he has a distribution accuracy of 80% which is higher than Darlow (60%) who spent most of the season in goal for Newcastle.

If Benitez does decide to shop for a new number one goalkeeper this summer, a move for Reina would make a lot of sense. He would likely be available for a low fee and Napoli would be willing to let him depart. The Newcastle boss knows the keeper well and will know exactly what he is getting. There would be little to no risk, considering that he remains a reliable keeper and would be a positive influence around the dressing room.