In this series, we will analyse teams, identify problem areas, and suggest solutions in the form
of incoming players. We won’t follow gossip, rumours or conjecture. We’re concerned only
with a player’s on-field performance and their suitability for the role in question.
Today’s team is Newcastle United, welcome to Sensible Transfers.
Newcastle are in a state of rapid change. Transformed from the side who were languishing,
winless, at the foot of the Premier League table in the Autumn of the 2021,
the team would finish the season 11th under Eddie Howe’s management,
the power of a quintet of January signings and, of course, the investment that came
with a new majority shareholder: the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia.
Now, the club have twin objectives: to keep climbing the Premier League
towards the new owners’ goal of European football and eventually title contention,
but – in the short and medium term – to sign players who improve the side,
signpost this new ambition to the market and develop the club’s status.
So, the task is different. Instead of curing problems, this edition of Sensible
Transfers is more about finding the areas where improvements would be most dramatically felt.
And we’re starting at the back. Goalkeeper Nick Pope has been signed,
so too centre-back Sven Botman, but there’s still room for improvement.
Since the end of the season, Matt Targett’s loan move has been made permanent
and Kieran Trippier has recovered fully from injury. The full-backs are in good shape.
In-field, however, Dan Burn may have been one of the better performers after arriving in the New
Year, and Jamal Lascelles and Fabian Schar are both capable Premier League defenders,
but the department could still be developed, despite a far better defensive performance from
February onwards, could be more balanced, with Burn and new-signing Botman both very left-footed.
Eddie Howe prefers a deeper defensive line and a counter-attacking style, so
speed across the ground isn’t too important, but we are looking for solid defensive attributes
and a player with perhaps a more technical profile to play alongside Botman or Burn.
Real Sociedad’s Robin Le Normand has been heavily linked to Atletico Madrid.
He’s French, 25 years-old and has spent most of his time at club level on the left side
of a back-four, but as a natural right-footer he’d have little difficulty switching across.
He’s a good passer, particularly over long distances, and while not particularly
proactive or the finest athlete, neither should be an issue in that deeper line.
He's an option, but our Sensible Transfer is Paris
Saint-Germain’s Thilo Kehrer – and not just for footballing reasons.
If Newcastle are to accelerate their progress, they need to sign players of a
certain profile – preferably also from the kind of clubs with whom they one day aim to compete.
Kehrer suits both agendas. He’s a current German international, a recognised name in European
football and, conveniently, he has just one year left on his current contract and is only 25.
From a technical standpoint, he can cover both the right centre-back and right full-back positions,
providing extra cover should Kieran Trippier’s injury problems reoccur.
He’s good on the ball and, unlike Le Normand, highly proactive. That’s partly a symptom of PSG’s
domestic superiority, though, and his skillset could be adapted to suite Howe’s Newcastle.
He's not aerially dominant, but with the 6ft7 Burn alongside him and set-piece
support drawn from other areas of the pitch (Wood/Joelinton), that’s
a tradeoff worth making for a stylish and desirable centre-half.
The right side of attack is where Newcastle could most significantly improve
but also, because of the players available, perhaps also make the biggest statement.
Allan Saint-Maximin is much more natural on the left side and, with no equivalent on the
other flank, that leaves Howe’s attack lacking symmetry. Ryan Fraser is preferred on the right,
so too Miguel Almiron, but while still valuable squad players, they combined for just three goals
and three assists last season. With Newcastle scoring just 44 Premier League goals last term,
it’s clear that they need much more in the way of tangible output
and it’s similarly apparent from which area that could come from.
Bayer Leverkusen’s Moussa Diaby would be an intriguing option.
He enjoyed an exceptional Bundesliga season, scoring 13 goals and providing 12 assists. He’s
more of creative player than a dynamic one – that might provide a nice contrast to Saint-Maximin –
and he switches sides regularly for Leverkusen, looking comfortable on the left and right. As
Newcastle’s squad gets deeper and more talented, that adaptability might become even more valuable.
But Leverkusen are back in the Champions League and given how important Diaby was to them last
season, they will be extremely reluctant sellers; while Newcastle could certainly
afford any potential fee, they could still land a bigger punch and do better with their money.
So, our Sensible Transfer is Chelsea’s Christian Pulisic.
Pulisic hasn’t settled in London. Disrupted by injury and denied a regular starting place,
rumours abound that he’s at least willing to think about a move.
The best football of his career came on the right side for Borussia Dortmund
and during that 2019-20 season he was a standout player in all sorts of attacking categories.
At his best, he’s dynamic and creative and a significant challenge for most full-backs and,
like Diaby, can play a whole range of positions in a way that would
theoretically allow him to fulfil multiple roles for a quickly evolving Newcastle.
In addition to which, he’s the standard bearer and captain of the US Men’s National Team
and comfortable with the pressure and expectation of being the star
within a developing group. And, while he may be seeking more regular first-team football,
his wages are likely to be a prohibitive factor for most clubs. Not Newcastle, though, who could
absorb that cost comfortably and sign a player who would not only make them better in a key position,
but also provide them with the kind of quality which they could use to recruit in the future.