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Magpies sign Slimani on loan
Written by Tom Easterby
Newcastle United have signed Leicester City forward Islam Slimani on loan until the end of the season.
The 29-year-old linked up with the Magpies on transfer deadline day, bolstering manager Rafa Benítez’s attacking options at St. James’ Park.
Algerian international Slimani joins from the Foxes until the end of the current campaign having made 17 appearances for Claude Puel’s side this term, scoring five times.
He began his career in his homeland with JSM Chéraga, before moving to CR Belouizdad in 2009. After four years with the Algerian Ligue Professionelle 1 outfit he moved to Europe to join Sporting Lisbon, where he scored 57 goals in 111 games.
Slimani’s prolific form in front of goal at the Estádio José Alvalade earned him a move to Leicester in the summer of 2016, where he has featured in the Champions League. He is also a full international, with 26 goals in 55 outings for his country.
“It’s a great thing for me and for Newcastle. I’m happy to be here. Hopefully I can come here and be able to give them a hand,” said Slimani.
“Knowing the power of the fans and crowd here and how great they are, and also speaking to the manager, it gave me the confidence that this was the right choice.”
Manager Benítez added: “Slimani is a player with experience in the Premier league, and obviously we were looking for that.
“He is a player who can fight with defenders, challenge and score goals. Hopefully he can give us some experience and some different characteristics to the strikers that we have at the moment.”
"Knowing the power of the fans and crowd here and how great they are, and also speaking to the manager, it gave me the confidence that this was the right choice."