An update has emerged regarding Newcastle’s interest in Philippe Coutinho, who is currently on loan to Aston Villa from Barcelona.
What’s the talk?
According to Sport, the Magpies are interested in a deal to sign the Brazil international and are willing to offer him more money in wages to turn down a permanent move to Villa Park.
The report claims that the Midlands club can sign him for €40m (£34m) this summer as part of their loan agreement, with the Toon now hoping to swoop in ahead of them.
Cabaye replacement
Callum Wilson is Newcastle’s top scorer in the Premier League with just six strikes in the top flight, with Allan Saint-Maximin (five) their only other player with more than two goals.
The Toon have struggled to find goals across the pitch and lack attacking quality in the middle of the park. No Magpies central midfielder has more than three direct goal contributions this season, which suggests that they are still looking for their Yohan Cabaye replacement.
In two-and-a-half seasons with the Tyneside club, the Frenchman produced 17 goals and 10 assists from midfield as he proved that he had the quality to be a difference-maker in the Premier League. The statistics from the current campaign show that no-one has been able to take on his mantle this term, but Eddie Howe can now finally replace him with a deal for Coutinho.
As you can see from the graphic above (with stats via WhoScored and the Premier League), both players are similar in terms of their actions on the pitch. They both like to create chances for their team-mates on a regular basis, whilst also taking plenty of shots themselves.
Both players are deadly from set-piece situations, with Cabaye’s four Premier League free kicks and Coutinho’s five showing that they can be a danger from a dead ball. Bringing in the latter would duly add another weapon to Howe’s attacking armoury.
Roberto Firmino previously dubbed the Brazilian “phenomenal” and claimed that the 29-year-old has “magical powers” and Coutinho’s statistics back up that high praise. The former Liverpool midfielder has 45 goals and 38 assists in his English top-flight career, proving that he can score and set up goals at the top level, creating moments of magic in the final third with his quality on the ball.
This means that Newcastle can find their new attacking threat from midfield, a Cabaye 2.0 if you will, by signing the Brazil gem this summer. PIF must splash the cash to make sure that they can bring him in ahead of Villa to bolster Howe’s squad.
AND in other news, Fabrizio Romano drops major Newcastle United transfer claim which will excite supporters…