Why James McCarthy must quit Everton and move to Newcastle this summer

Newcastle United sealed an immediate return to the Premier League after winning the Championship title this weekend.

Rafa Benitez’s men spent big in the summer in a bid to bounce straight back up at the first time of asking, and although there were some nervy moments along the way, it rarely looked in any doubt.

The Magpies secured promotion with a 4-1 victory over Preston North End on April 29, before beating Chris Hughton’s Brighton to the title on the final day courtesy of a 3-0 win over Barnsley, coupled with the Seagulls’ 1-1 draw at Aston Villa.

And attentions are already turning to who the Newcastle boss may look to sign in a bid to strengthen his squad ahead of their top-flight campaign next summer, with a whole host of names linked with a move to St James’ Park.

And one of those is Everton midfielder James McCarthy, who has struggled for gametime under Toffees boss Ronald Koeman this term.

The 26-year-old has managed just seven Premier League starts for the Merseyside outfit since Koeman took over from the sacked Roberto Martinez in the summer, and with the Toffees bolstering a decent array of midfield talent, McCarthy may continue to struggle for first team football.

Yet he would surely get exactly that at Newcastle, and with the Magpies embarking on a Premier League campaign next term, he is exactly the sort of player who should be top of their priorities this summer.

And that’s because, despite a frustrating season at Everton, McCarthy is a very accomplished midfielder at the top level.

The Republic of Ireland international was a key part of the Wigan Athletic side which every year did enough to avoid the drop, and thus earned himself a big money move to Goodison Park in the summer of 2013, once again linking up with Martinez after their time at the DW Stadium.

Martinez clearly rated McCarthy highly enough to trust him and thus bring him to Everton, knowing that the pressure will be on him as manager to get results, and the midfielder repaid his manager’s faith with 34 Premier League appearances in a wonderful season which saw the Toffees finish fifth in the top-flight.

And it’s this Premier League experience, both near the top with Everton and at the bottom with Wigan, which is going to be invaluable for a Newcastle side returning to the top-flight.

Magpies boss Benitez used an experienced and expensive team to earn promotion back to the Premier League this summer, but it’s not a squad absolutely riddled with top tier experience – in fact, no one in that squad has played more top-flight games than McCarthy (218).

Although he hasn’t had his greatest years in recent times, and as a central midfielder would be competing in arguably Newcastle’s strongest position, McCarthy needs to be playing regular football as, at the age of 26, he should be entering his peak years.

That doesn’t look like coming at Everton, what with January signing Morgan Schneiderlin, Idrissa Gueye, Gareth Barry, Tom Davies, and Muhamed Besic on the books, and indeed Tom Cleverly to come back from a loan spell at Watford.

Injuries certainly haven’t helped his cause this term, but even if he was fully fit, it’s difficult to see him regularly starting in the Everton midfield, yet it’s certainly more likely for him to do so at St James’ Park.

This appears to be a new dawn at Newcastle under a quality manager who is looking to not only compete in the Premier League, but take the club back into the top half and beyond – McCarthy could be a huge part of that as he looks to resurrect his career in the North East.