The Rumour Mill – Diego Fabbrini

The striker shortage at the club is dwindling on the border of unbearable, with the signature of Loïc Remy seemingly nicked from under our noses by the annoyingly rich Queens Park Rangers and the annoyingly car-window-friendly Harry Redknapp.

Time also seems to be running out, with the transfer window having surpassed the halfway mark. The Magpies have been active in the market, but not active enough. A deal for a front man has to be done to bolster a wafer thin squad.

Unsurprisingly, rumours continue to pile in, with Udinese’s Diego Fabbrini being one of the latest players to be linked with a move to St James’ Park.

The 22 year old appears to have a lot of promise about him, making his international debut last year against England and featuring for a strong Serie A side.

Yet despite the impression of Fabbrini being an exciting prospect, the Italian doesn’t seem to be the right player to solve Newcastle’s current predicament due to his poor goal return. Fabbrini has only scored one goal this season, and just five league goals in his entire career for Empoli and Udinese. Clearly, this may not be the man to fill Ba’s boots in the goal scoring department.

Now this isn’t to say that he’s a bad player, for he usually functions as a second striker, thus supplying the main attacker, more often than not di Natale, whilst linking up with the midfield. Given that he’s not an out-and-out striker, it would make sense to pursue other available front men.

However, January isn’t a time to be picky. Not many players are going to be available, and it is rumoured that Udinese would be willing to let their starlet out on loan. Given the minimal financial implications of a loan deal, this could work for Newcastle, and especially Ashley. Admittedly, Fabbrini might not be the ideal signing, but he could provide much needed support to Papiss Cisse who has struggled to find his form from last season.

So, should the club approach the 22 year old? All I’ll say is that at the time of writing this, Newcastle United have less than two weeks to bring players in. Fabbrini doesn’t fulfil all the criteria when looking at the gaping hole left by Ba, but a striker or two need to come in. It could be a case of having to settle for slightly less than what would be expected. Oh, if only Remy wasn’t such a filthy money-grabber!