Newcastle and West Brom discuss potential swap deal

New reports are claiming that Newcastle United and West Brom have been talking about a potential swap deal this summer.

A new report from TeamTalk claims that Newcastle United have been in contact with West Brom over a potential deal that involves five players. According to the report, the Magpies are willing to let West Brom keep Dwight Gayle and Jacob Murphy in exchange for three of their players. The three players Rafa Benitez has his eye on from West Brom are Salomon Rondon (current loanee), Jake Livermore and Kieran Gibbs.

West Brom seem to be open to such a deal, however, there is a catch. The only way that this deal would happen is if West Brom miss out on promotion this season. The Baggies are currently fourth in the EFL Championship table, but seeing that they are seven points behind second-placed Sheffield United it is likely that West Brom’s only shot at earning promotion is through the play-offs.

Good Deal for Newcastle?

Many Newcastle supporters would not be thrilled about this deal since it involves bringing over multiple players from the second tier of English football, however, the fact that West Brom is in the EFL Championship does not mean that there are no Premier League players on their roster. Being able to keep Rondon on a permanent basis would be a good move for Newcastle and Benitez would be more likely to sign a new contract if Rondon stays on Tyneside.

Livermore and Gibbs would also be solid additions to the roster. Both players have sufficient talent to play in the Premier League and they have a combined total of 348 Premier League appearances. Having two players under the age of 30 with that kind of experience under their belt is massive and it is something Benitez has been asking for since taking over as manager three years ago.

Livermore would certainly be an upgrade to Mohamed Diame and Gibbs could definitely fight for a job as a starter on Newcastle’s back-line, especially seeing how injury prone Newcastle’s defenders have been this season.

Gayle and Murphy

Any deal that sees Newcastle gain three Premier League players for two Championship-level players is a good deal. Gayle and Murphy are talented, but they are only quality players in the second tier. Gayle is the type of striker who will score five or six goals in the Premier League, but will score 20 in the Championship. Murphy has plenty of pace to leave defenders chasing behind, but his overall game needs further development.

Overall, this move would be good for both teams. West Brom would keep two players that will keep them in contention for a top six spot and they would get some big salaries off their books. Newcastle, on the other hand, would gain three players with extensive Top Flight experience and they would help fill voids in defense, midfield and up top.