Newcastle United failed to make progress last weekend, defeated as they were by Brentford in west London. It’s early days yet, but the Magpies are 12th in the Premier League and seven points behind fourth-placed Manchester City.
Eddie Howe could only watch on as his side spurned several excellent chances. Newcastle have struggled for goals and energy in the final third this season but appear to have fixed that issue somewhat. The overall fluency, however, remains off-kilter.
What is the goal for the Magpies as things stand? In Howe’s own words, speaking after the Gtech defeat, Newcastle have been far too “inconsistent,” while club captain Bruno Guimaraes criticised his team’s “very disappointing” start to the season.
There’s ample time to reorient and step toward greener pastures, but balance needs to be found and managed, lest Newcastle suffer patchy results right up to the summer.
14/12/24
Leicester (H)
Premier League
18/12/24
Brentford (H)
Carabao Cup
21/12/24
Ipswich (A)
Premier League
26/12/24
Aston Villa (H)
Premier League
30/12/24
Man United
Premier League
With Sven Botman and Jamal Lascelles entering the final phases of their rehabilitation from injuries, the rearguard will at least be bolstered soon, but the Toon’s midfield needs work, and Howe appears to be lining up an exciting new star to settle the equilibrium.
Newcastle transfer news
As per Caught Offside, Newcastle are still tracking Borrussia Dortmund midfielder Felix Nmecha, who Howe admitted was on the club’s radar in 2023, before he left Wolfsburg to join the Yellow Wall in a £25m deal.
The 24-year-old is a robust and varied presence in the middle of the park, with an all-action style that could complement and combine with the skills of the Magpies midfielders nicely.
Manchester United are also interested, and while he’s a popular presence in Nuri Sahin’s Bundesliga side, they would be willing to listen to offers in the ballpark of €45m (£37m).
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What Felix Nmecha would bring to Newcastle
Upon bringing the German in, Dortmund technical director Sebastien Kehl said this of the new recruit: “Felix Nmecha is a fast, technically adept and physically strong player who will enhance our midfield both offensively and defensively with his profile.”
Clearly a player with the athletic prowess to survive the energy and intensity of the Premier League, Nmecha actually offers the mould that Howe has liked to enforce at St. James’ Park – almost a hybrid of Joelinton and Guimaraes.
As per FBref, he ranks among the top 15% of midfielders in the Champions League this season for goals, the top 13% for assists, the top 11% for pass completion, the top 16% for successful take-ons and the top 21% for tackles per 90. You can see that he’s an all-round type of player.
A successful take-on is recorded when a player beats their opponent by directly carrying the ball past them while retaining possession.
So much so, in fact, that FBref have recorded Arsenal’s Declan Rice as one of the German’s most statistically similar players. Newcastle have some interesting parts in the engine room but that would be the cog to complete the machine.
Though, with elegant Sandro Tonali and energetic Joe Willock both occupying space, it becomes rather questionable as to where a £40m-odd midfielder would fit in the Tyneside system.
Someone would need to go. Lewis Miley’s still making progress as he establishes himself from the academy, but it’s fellow Newcastle native Sean Longstaff who should be ruthlessly given the chop.
How Felix Nmecha compares to Sean Longstaff
Perhaps part of the problem is that Joelinton, Guimaraes and Longstaff have formed the largely-used core of Howe’s Newcastle team for the past three years, and now fresh legs are needed.
Longstaff – a long-time scapegoat of fans in the Toon – is certainly industrious, and tenacious besides, but he’s lacking in several departments that are paramount for Newcastle to make progress and sit alongside those at the very top of English (and European) football.
Nmecha offers certain similarities to the United star, but as you will see below, outstrips him across various key metrics that suggest that he will allow Howe’s midfield to operate at a higher level.
Matches (starts)
13 (8)
14 (8)
Goals
2
0
Assists
1
0
Touches*
39.5
25.6
Pass completion
88%
87%
Key passes*
0.6
0.2
Dribbles (completed)*
0.5 (67%)
0.1 (33%)
Ball recoveries*
3.1
1.9
Tackles + interceptions*
1.9
2.3
Total duels (won)*
3.6 (59%)
2.7 (54%)
Even at a glance, it’s clear to see that the Dortmund man brings more to the table. Whether he would hit the ground running in the Premier League is of course somewhat uncertain, but then the same can be said for any hopeful incoming stepping onto English shores for the first time.
And anyway, it’s not like Nmecha hasn’t tasted English football to some degree in the past, for he cut his teeth within Manchester City’s powerful production line before journeying abroad to make his name, settling with Wolfsburg in 2021 after his youth contract dried up.
Newcastle, of course, know of Nmecha’s qualities all too well, and not just because of erstwhile transfer intrigue. The rangy midfielder was the author of the goal that saw Dortmund leave St. James’ Park with three Champions League points last season.
But, painful as those memories are, it suggests that Nmecha has the skills to succeed against Premier League opposition.
With rival suitors starting to register their interest, Newcastle need to act fast to score a big upgrade on Longstaff and continue the construction of a top-class Tyneside team.
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