Newcastle fans react to fee being agreed for Yoshinori Muto

Add as preferred source on Google

Newcastle have agreed a deal to sign striker Yoshinori Muto from Bundesliga side Mainz, according to BBC Sport. The Magpies have been stepping up their recruitment in recent days, but they have yet to release a lot of funds to Rafa Benitez. The fee for the Japanese international is thought to be £9.5 million.

The 26-year-old will be the fifth player to move to St James’ Park this summer, but they have yet to spend double figures on a player and that is why Benitez is frustrated. That said, he will be pleased that a striker is joining the club as one was required.

Their top scorer last season was Ayoze Perez with eight Premier League goals. Without a bigger goal threat, the season will be a struggle. It remains to be seen whether Muto is the answer and given the transfer fee, it would be unfair to expect him to be.

Last season, the Japanese international scored eight goals for Mainz, with a strike rate of one every 238.25 minutes. That doesn’t suggest that he is going to be a revelation at St James’ Park, but it is worth considering that he was playing in a team at the wrong end of the Bundesliga table. He averaged 1.4 shots per game, which underlines the lack of service that he received.

Although he won’t have been Benitez’s first choice, there are reasons for positivity. Muto will provide a different profile to the Newcastle squad. He has lots of pace and can be used effectively as an impact substitution. Meanwhile, his dribbling ability and calmness in possession means that he can create openings for his team.

Muto has high work rate and has an impressive tactical understanding of the game. Both of those will have appealed to Benitez. The Newcastle manager knows that he doesn’t have the talent in his squad to challenge the best teams, but their organisation and energy stood out in the division last season. The incoming striker will certainly fit into the squad well.

There is still time left in the transfer window for further incomings and Newcastle certainly need to release more funds if they are to have a comfortable season. The last few days have been positive and the arrival of Schar and Muto has provided positive momentum. They must now enter the market for more quality.

Here is how Twitter reacted to Newcastle agreeing a deal for Muto:

https://twitter.com/JonBloggs66/status/1022503887532695552

Some Newcastle fans were positive about the news:

https://twitter.com/HanoiToon/status/1022378753710641152

https://twitter.com/BeatsStriped/status/1022436716043481088

https://twitter.com/JJFletcher7/status/1022212650955145217

Others remained sceptical of Newcastle’s recruitment:

https://twitter.com/GeordieRobM/status/1022427361747316736

https://twitter.com/MagpieChannel/status/1022436699866103810