Newcastle United and the loyal St. James’ following simply don’t possess the smoothest record when it comes to signing strikers in the Premier League. On the contrary, most deals set up in the forward department on Tyneside invariably end in less than perfect circumstances for the Magpies, desperately trying to return the good times back to the North East.

From previously ill-fated forays into the often trepidatious transfer market, including both largely forgotten figures of Albert Luque and Xisco, to several more recent striking failures at St. James’ Park, such as Emanuel Riviere and Facundo Ferreya to name but a few – Steve McClaren’s new side ultimately haven’t had a great deal of success amongst their forward options, arguably since the day Alan Shearer retired at the club.

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So then, in splashing out close to £12.5 million on 20-year-old Serbian striking sensation, Aleksandar Mitrovic, this summer, Newcastle United have seemingly carried out yet another massive gamble ahead of the upcoming campaign.

The former Anderlecht man has already picked up two yellow card cautions and one ridiculous sending off so far this season without scoring a goal, despite only possessing a grand total of four Premier League appearances to his name.

In light of such somewhat characteristic madness on Tyneside this term, the rest of the English top-flight are seemingly left to ask one question, and one question only – will the signing of Aleksandar Mitrovic eventually work out for the Magpies this season, or has Steve McClaren ultimately sourced a madman in the fiery Serb?

Well, for anyone who has watched Newcastle’s latest addition to their striking department do his thing in the early stages of the 2015/16 campaign, the answer to such a question remains somewhat obvious...

Yes, Mitrovic looks like he could well turn into the Premier League’s latest madman, and a pretty entertaining one at that. Whether it be through is inability to keep out of the referees note-book for the duration of the 90 minutes, seeming lack of control in the tackle and somewhat unusual approach without the ball at his feet, or simply because his collection of multi-coloured hair-styles have certainly painted out an unusual reputation for him in the past – Aleksandar Mitrovic could turn out to be a real character of the modern era.

Whilst the Serbian’s unpredictable nature and maverick qualities could admittedly prove the source of much frustration down at St. James’ this term, perhaps Mitrovic is actually just the kind of player Steve McClaren requires going into the new campaign. Newcastle lacked any form of cutting edge under the ill-fated reign of John Carver last season – yet with a striker as hungry and as desperate to make a name for himself as the former Anderlecht hit-man – the Tyneside faithful could potentially be witnessing some improved fortunes in front of goal in 2015/16.

Mitrovic undoubtedly brings with him a solid goal-rate to the Premier League, even if the Belgian Pro League isn’t quite the best test for players looking to make that all-important step up to the English top-flight. Nevertheless, McClaren’s side simply need more goals to fly in if they are to be successful this campaign, and that is something Mitrovic at least has the potential of delivering sooner rather than later.

However, whilst the young Serbian’s credentials out on the pitch certainly remain promising for Newcastle at this stage in the game, was there really no other striker out there offering a more stable package than Aleksandar Mitrovic? £12.5 million is a fair investment for a player of only 20-years-old after all, especially someone with distinctly clear anger issues that need to be seen to before it’s too late.

It seems as if Newcastle have potentially signed the Premier League’s next Mario Balotelli, which will likely succeed in dramatic style, or flop rather characteristically on Tyneside along with many of the club’s other gambles in the striking department. At this stage however, it’s certainly fair to say that Aleksandar Mitrovic hasn’t won himself many fans among the Premier League’s wider following as of yet.

He currently looks like a clueless headless-chicken clumsily ploughing himself into challenges without much thought of the consequences. Yes, he has remained a threat in front of goal partially this term, but so far the results have ultimately been less than convincing for the player himself, as well as the club as a whole.

In any case, the St. James’ faithful certainly seem to have found themselves an excitinng character at the very least – it’s just that the jury currently remains out in regards to how well Aleksandar Mitrovic will actually do in his first season in the Premier League. Time will simply have to tell…

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