A mixed start to Newcastle United’s pre-season fixtures.
First, the Magpies demolished Carlisle United 4-0 in a behind-closed-doors friendly, with the now-departed Sean Longstaff breaking the deadlock, before Joelinton, Jacob Murphy and youngster Ben Parkinson were all on target.
However, on Saturday, with over 10,000 Geordies in attendance in Glasgow, Eddie Howe’s side were embarrassingly battered 4-0 by Celtic at Parkhead, with Nick Pope responsible for an absolute howler, gifting the Hoops their second.
Next up, the Toon Army will take on Arsenal at the Singapore National Stadium on Sunday, but will they have a new signing to get excited about before then?
Newcastle United's latest transfer news
So far this summer, Newcastle have signed Anthony Elanga from Nottingham Forest for a reported fee of £55m, making him the club’s second-most expensive signing of all-time, behind fellow-Swede Alexander Isak.
Meantime, they’ve seen a £25m bid rejected for Brentford striker Yoane Wissa, although the DR Congo international has left the Bees’ pre-season training camp in Portugal, and it is widely expected this deal will be finalised in the end.
While Wissa would be an excellent addition, representing a major upgrade on the released Callum Wilson, are Newcastle also turning their attention back to their top target?
Well, as reported by Chris Waugh of the Athletic, Newcastle ‘remain interested’ in signing Crystal Palace centre-back Marc Guéhi, noting that internal discussions during recruitment meetings have been held.
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Fair to say, Newcastle hold a long-standing interest in the England international, having had four bids rejected for Guéhi last summer, the highest of which was £60m, with Palace owner Steve Parish telling BBC Sport back then that it would require “superstar money” for the Eagles to consider selling their captain.
Guéhi is purportedly valued at £70m by the South London side, so should Newcastle push the boat out to bring him to Tyneside?
How Marc Guéhi would improve Newcastle
Howe will be looking to bolster his centre-back options this summer, ahead of a very busy schedule, given that his side have qualified for the Champions League.
The table below underlines his limited options in that position last season.
Appearances
46
42
10
Starts
44
40
8
Minutes
3,974
3,629
581
% of total minutes played
91%
83%
13%
As the table outlines, due to Sven Botman’s injury issues, Dan Burn and Fabin Schär started the vast majority of Newcastle’s 48 fixtures last season in league and cup, something that’ll surely not be possible again with, at a minimum, eight Champions League ties thrown into the mix.
Should Guéhi arrive, he would certainly become first-choice in that spot, given that then-England manager Gareth Southgate described his performances at last summer’s Euros as “exceptional”, while former teammate Josef Buršík, now of Club Brugge, labelled him an “absolute tank”.
Meantime, Nathan Jackson of Total Football Analysis outlines how he has the potential to become the best centre-back in the Premier League, with Elias Burke of the Athletic praising his ability to complete ‘ambitious’ forward passes, due to his top-class quality on the ball, citing Roy Hodgson, who asserted that he is a future England captain.
So, let’s see how he compares to Burn, the man he’d surely be usurping in the Newcastle pecking order.
Pass completion %
84.15%
88.62%
Forward passes
20.8
17
Duels contested
8.4
8.9
Aerial duel success %
53.91%
66.07%
Ground duel success %
63.46%
50%
Tackles
1.8
1.1
Interceptions
0.9
0.8
Blocks
0.7
0.7
Ball Recoveries
4.3
2.8
As the table outlines, Guéhi comes out on top for the vast majority of defensive metrics included; it is little surprise that Burn boasts better numbers when it comes to aerial duels!
This is exactly why Guéhi would be such a key signing for Newcastle, as he would represent a massive upgrade in a position of need.
Wissa, on the other hand, while an excellent player, not so much.
The Magpies already have Isak, who Graham Ruthven of Total Soccer Show asserts is one of the best four centre-forwards on the planet, alongside Erling Braut Håland, Harry Kane and Robert Lewandowski.
Of course, an Isak back-up is necessary, but this is why they signed William Osula last summer, a player who Beth Limb of Breaking the Lines believes has a ‘bright future ahead’, praising his ‘strong physical profile’ and ‘wonderful burst of acceleration’.
So, while Wissa will be a useful squad addition, Guéhi would represent a transformational first-team starter, hence why Newcastle should go all out to secure his signature.
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