Newcastle continues their rebuild with Odion Ighalo firmly in their sights. The former Manchester United forward currently plays for Al Shabab in Saudi Arabia.
With relegation staring Newcastle boldly in the face, the rebuild the club is initiating is not particularly going to plan.
Newcastle became the wealthiest club in England after the takeover by a consortium consisting of PCP Capital Partners, Reuben Brothers and the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia (PIF). The funds available to the team was supposed to propel them to challenge fellow billionaire owned clubs like Chelsea and Manchester City for titles.
It is one thing to have the cash, but another thing entirely to have the pull. The pull is absent with the Magpies as they have failed to land their top targets. Failure in this regard left them settling for Eddie Howe as manager.
Getting the cream of the crop is a difficult task even for the elite clubs, but Newcastle are bent on surviving relegation and rising to the top. The pressing matter before the club is avoiding relegation, and if the top players are not interested in a relegation dog fight, the club will go for players who can dig them out of the mire.
Several players have been lined up to join the club, with Nigeria international Odion Ighalo on their radar.
Newcastle target Odion Ighalo
Since the takeover of Newcastle, the club has been linked with several players. Former Celtic star Moussa Dembele is one of the names linked to Newcastle. Lucas Digne, England international Kieran Trippier, with centre-back Sven Botman are all on Eddie Howe’s shortlist for January.
The latest name with links to Newcastle is Odion Ighalo. The Premier League side, heavily entrenched in a relegation battle, want to sign the Nigerian international.
Sky Sports UK report that Odion Ighalo has found his way into the Magpies transfer shortlist ahead of the winter transfer window. Eddie Howe is keen to bolster his attack as they have struggled for goals this term.
Newcastle United sit in 19th on the Premier league table. They are three points behind Watford, who are in 17th place.
Reigning in Saudi Arabia
Odion Ighalo’s last stint in Europe was for Manchester United, where he didn’t get many games. He currently plays for club Al Shabab and was recently invited to the Super Eagles of Nigeria. The former Watford and Granada star has no qualms about joining the relegation bound side and said this much when questioned about joining the Magpies.
In 67 appearances for Watford and Manchester United, Ighalo scored 16 goals but is tearing up the charts in Saudi Arabia. He is the current joint top scorer in the Saudi Professional League with Al Nassr's Brazilian star Anderson Souza Conceição. The 32-year-old has scored nine goals in 13 appearances.
Odion Ighalo will enter the last eighteen months of his contract with Al Shabab in January.
Odion Ighalo has seen his career span many countries and has many medals for club and country.
This article was most recently revised and updated 3 years ago
