Newcastle United look to be making strides in the transfer market. Eddie Howe is not one to make signings on a whim. Rather, he aims to find value and only strengthen when required.
With Champions League football gracing St James’ Park once again, however, the manager must add some high-profile players to his first-team squad, especially if he wishes to make progress in the competition.
An improved bid of £55m was submitted for winger Anthony Elanga recently and Howe will be hoping that this will be enough to secure the services of the Swede.
Their first offer was rejected, but the Magpies are desperate to land their man and it would be a significant coup should they sign Elanga.
Another move that is in the pipeline is for James Trafford. The Toon are aiming to get a move for the Burnley goalkeeper tied up by next week.
Signing these two should be the catalyst for Howe to land a few more significant signings over the next couple of weeks.
Bolstering his defence is certainly a priority and one name that has been touted for a move to Newcastle is Atalanta starlet Giorgio Scalvini.
Latest on Newcastle's pursuit of Scalvini
It was reported on Friday by journalist Martin Hardy, who is the Northern sports correspondent for The Times, that Newcastle have made Scalvini their top target.
The youngster is valued by the Serie A side at around £30m, which means Howe will need to splash the cash to lure him to England.
Is he worth it, however? He could only muster eight appearances all season due to a cruciate ligament injury, which hampered his progress.
It was the 2023/24 campaign in which the 21-year-old began to demonstrate his potential. He featured in 44 matches across all competitions for his club, scoring twice and grabbing three assists in the process.
The centre-back also played a key role in Atalanta’s Europa League triumph, playing 45 minutes in the final which the club won 3-0 against Bayer Leverkusen.
During his 45-minute cameo in that game, Scalvini won two of his three duels contested, made three clearances and finished the game with a 92% pass success rate.
It was an excellent performance and there is no doubt he would have continued this fine progress into the 2024/25 campaign if it weren’t for his injury.
He appears to be back at full fitness and ready to prove a point. Still only 21, Scalvini is yet to even hit his peak and this could entice Howe into making a swoop for the defender this summer.
Will the potential price tag put him off, however? Especially if moves for Elanga and Trafford go through as planned in the coming days.
Could the club perhaps go for another transfer target instead? One that won’t cost north of £30m to sign.
Newcastle have also been linked with another defender from Serie A. This time, it is AC Milan star Malick Thiaw.
Newcastle chasing move for AC Milan defender
Although Scalvini would be a solid signing, especially with his long-term potential, might Howe be slightly put off by his lack of game time due to the cruciate ligament injury?
Journalist Graeme Bailey provided an update on Newcastle’s transfer business on Friday, naming Thiaw among those that the Magpies are showing “major interest” in.
There are several targets that Howe clearly wishes he could sign, but ultimately, only one or two will arrive at St James’ Park.
Milan are holding out for a fee of between €25m to €30m (£22m to £26m) for the German centre-back, which could be more appealing for Howe.
Thiaw has already played 14 games in the Champions League, which is another aspect that will please Howe amid his chase for another defender.
Might he be an even better signing than Scalvini too? Let’s take a look at the statistics.
Why Newcastle must sign Malick Thiaw this summer
The German international played 31 times for Milan last term, including five games in the Champions League. He showed his class by even scoring against Real Madrid in the group stages.
Hailed by football talent scout Jacek Kulig as “simply superb” following his debut season for Milan, Thiaw has gone from strength to strength during his time in Serie A.
Accurate passes
53.5
Tackles
1.1
Interceptions
0.7
Total duels won
3.7
Possession lost
4.5
Balls recovered
3
If comparing both he and Scalvini, however, taking a look into their respective stats from the 2023/24 league season is the best option due to Scalvini missing most of 2024/25.
From an attacking point of view, the Italian did record more goals and assists that campaign (four vs one) and registered more shots per 90 (0.67 vs 0.28) than Thiaw.
The Milan star registered a higher pass completion percentage (91.6% vs 81.3%) than Scalvini, while also recording a higher percentage of dribblers tackled (48% vs 47.5%) and committing fewer fouls.
Thiaw also made more clearances (2.6 vs 2) in Serie A that campaign, along with losing possession fewer times (5.4 vs 10) and completing more accurate passes (51.4 vs 37.8) for their respective teams.
Of course, this data is from two seasons ago, but it proves that Thiaw shone across a range of metrics compared to the Atalanta starlet.
Howe will have plenty of thoughts regarding who he could sign to bolster his defensive options, but much will depend on the finances involved.
Scalvini will likely cost more, yet he is younger and has a potentially higher ceiling for development, meaning he could make the club a significant profit in the near future.
Thiaw, on the other hand, is two years older, but he comes with much more experience, especially in the Champions League, having been hailed as a “top-class centre-back” at his best by Kulig.
Given that this is a tournament which Howe wants to do well in next term, perhaps making a move for the German international is the best way to go.
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