Mixed start with Newcastle United preseason equipment.
First, Magpies smashed closed door-friendly Carlisle United 4-0 after current department store Shaun Longstaff broke deadlock before Jollington, Jacob Murphy and young Ben Parkinson all acquired targets.
However, with over 10,000 Geordies in Glasgow on Saturday, Eddie Howe’s side was embarrassedly abused by Parkhead’s Celtic, with Nick Pope taking on the absolute Hower and giving Hoop second.
Next, the Toon Army will face Arsenal at Singapore National Stadium on Sunday, but will there be a new signature to get excited before that?
Newcastle United’s latest forwarding news
So far, Newcastle has signed Anthony Elanga of Nottingham Forest with a reported £55 million reporting fee, making it the club’s second most expensive signing after fellow Swedish Alexander Isaac.
Meanwhile, they saw a £25 million bid being rejected for Brentford striker Yoan Wissa, but Dr. Congo left pre-season training camp in Portugal.
Whissa would be a great addition to representing a massive upgrade to the released Callum Wilson, but is Newcastle attracting attention too?
Well, as Newcastle’s Athletic Chris War reported, “I was ‘interested’ to sign Crystal Palace’s centre backmark Gaehee, noting that there is an internal discussion during recruitment meetings.
Needless to say, Newcastle has long been interested in England International, rejecting four bids for Gaehe last summer.
Guéhi is said to be valued at £700 million from the South London side, so did Newcastle push the boat to take him to Tyneside?
How Mark Gaehee improves Newcastle
Howe is looking to bolster his centre-back options this summer ahead of his extremely busy schedule, given his team’s appearance in the Champions League.
The table below highlights his limited options at that position last season.
Newcastle United Center Back Options 2024/25 | |||
---|---|---|---|
statistics | And burns | Fabianshire | Sven Botman |
exterior | 46 | 42 | 10 |
start | 44 | 40 | 8 |
Min | 3,974 | 3,629 | 581 |
% of total played | 91% | 83% | 13% |
Courtesy of stats fbref.com |
As the table outlines, due to Sven Bottman’s injury issues, Dan Byrne and Fabin Schael launched the majority of Newcastle’s 48 fixtures in the league and cups last season.
If Guéhi arrived, he certainly became his first choice at the location. Gareth Southate, then-England manager, described last summer’s euro as an “exception”, and Josef Buršík, a former teammate at Club Bruges, labeled him “absolute tank.”
Meanwhile, football analytics Nathan Jackson outlines how he has the potential to become the best centre-back in the Premier League. Athletic Elias Burke praises his ability to complete “ambitious” advances for the top quality of the ball.
So let’s take a look at how he compares with Byrne.
Marc Guéhivs Dan Burn 2024/25 Premier League comparison | ||
---|---|---|
Statistics (per 90) | Gheehi | But |
Pass completed % | 84.15% | 88.62% |
Forward pass | 20.8 | 17 |
The duel was fought | 8.4 | 8.9 |
Aerial duel success | 53.91% | 66.07% |
Ground Duel Success | 63.46% | 50% |
Tackle | 1.8 | 1.1 |
Intercept | 0.9 | 0.8 |
block | 0.7 | 0.7 |
Ball recovery | 4.3 | 2.8 |
All statistics courtesy of Squawka |
As the table outlines, Guéhi is at the top, including most of the defensive metrics. It’s a bit surprising that Byrne boasts better numbers when it comes to air duels!
This is why Guéhi is such an important signature for Newcastle.
Wissa, on the other hand, isn’t a great player, and not that much.
The Magpie already has Isaac, as claimed by soccer show Graham Ruthven.
Of course, you need an ISAK backup, but this is why I signed William Osura last summer. The player whose limbs break the line believes he praises his “strong physical profile” and “a great burst of acceleration.”
So, Whissa will be a useful team addition, but Gaehe will represent the transformative first team starter. Therefore, Newcastle should all go out to secure his signature.
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