Daryl Murphy has today been announced as Newcastle United’s tenth summer signing. For some, he is an underwhelming signing, but for Rafa, he may be exactly what we needed. A big and burly man, with a good aim and the ability to get down to work if needs be. Daryl played 123 games for Ipswich and scored 50 goals.
Considering his age and where Ipswich has wound up the last few seasons, that’s an impressive record.
We filed our questions to contributor, Evin Grant, to check what he had to say after Murphy’s arrival.
1) What are Murphy’s biggest strengths & weaknesses?
He’s really strong in the air, his movement in the box is very clever and he allows other players to make runs off of him. Murphy has some weaknesses, including his lack of pace and ability on the ball, but Rafa will know this and play to his strengths.
2) Where will he fit in the striker pecking order?
I reckon he’ll be third choice, behind both Gayle and Mitrovic. At 33 years of age, he’ll be happy to provide an option and have less minutes, for such a big club.
3) Murphy cost £3M, rising to £4M if promoted, that’s good money for a 33-year-old Championship striker. How will he repay that?
I think he’ll automatically make his price fair if he contributes to promotion via goals and consistent performances. Murphy should be aiming to get at least 10 goals, although he won’t play too often.
4) Why do you think Rafa has opted for Murphy in the end?
He said he wanted a striker with experience of scoring goals in the Championship, and Murphy fits the bill. He’s one of the best for scoring consistently in this league and although he may not be good enough to make the step up at Premier League level, he’s still an ideal acquisition.
6) Will he be a success at Newcastle?
7) What did you think when we were first linked with him?
I presumed he wasn’t one of our primary choices for the position, but in football, if you can’t get your main options, you continue down the list until you find someone suitable. I understand why fans aren’t excited by the signing, but let’s not make any premature judgements.
8) How was he in the Euro’s?
Similar to the role he will play at Newcastle, Murphy was used as an impact sub but did start one game. O’Neill doesn’t expect him to bang in the goals for Ireland – he’s used to hold up the ball and bring others into play, and he did that quite well in France.
9) What will he bring to NUFC off the pitch?
He has invaluable experience in the Championship and because he plays like Mitrovic, I think he’ll be able to help the Serb out. On the training ground, he’ll show our centre-backs what it’s like to deal with a proper Championship centre forward. This bodes well for future meetings with the likes of Rudy Gestede, Glenn Murray and Chris Martin.
So, now we have the thoughts of an Irishman. Daryl Murphy is obviously here to provide competition, as Rafa Benitez has clearly stated. I hope he contributes well on and off the pitch, in addition to the competition.