Newcastle United’s 2-0 Premier League win over Nottingham Forest just before the international break is not the only cause for optimism at St James’ Park right now.
Indeed, in a development during the break, Eddie Howe’s side have appointed Ross Wilson as their new sporting director, with the Scottish player leaving recently defeated Tricky Trees in the role he previously held at Rangers.
Regarded as one of the City Ground’s standout players who defined European football last season, Wilson will be aiming to emulate that success on Tyneside.
He will play a big role in Newcastle’s ability to assert their dominance in the upcoming transfer market. He is also the man who previously brought Anthony Elanga, who currently wears the Magpies’ black and white kit, to Forest for just £15 million.
One of his first notable tasks at Thun was for him to try to recruit a Premier League striker.
Newcastle considering signing new striker
Over the summer, the striker market dominated the transfer market, with Alexander Isak’s late move to Liverpool setting off an all-purpose domino effect.
That leaves Nick Woltemade and Yoan Ouissa on the way to St James’ Park, although the latter is yet to feature on the pitch due to injury, meaning they could look for another striker in the January window.
Indeed, according to Chronicle Live journalist Lee Ryder, Brentford attacker Igor Thiago is reportedly attracting attention as Wilson looks to set up his marker, and money could be handed to Howe this winter if necessary.
He is said to have already attracted the attention of scouts this season after a nightmare debut in England, and Thiago is said to still remain on Newcastle’s radar despite the passing of Woltemade and Ouissa.
Thiago has shown the Brazilian’s similar clinical edge to the 6ft 6in powerhouse and may well imagine he could match Waltemade from the get-go if he rises and leaves the Bees for a new adventure on Tyneside.
How Thiago can match Walteman at Newcastle
There would have been instant excitement at Mr. Thun’s persuasion if a deal for Waltemade were confirmed this summer. That’s because big money was poured into attackers tasked with filling Isaac’s big hole.
It cost a dizzying £69 million to sign the Bremen-born striker, and the German had just moved to St James’ Park following a breakout season in which he scored 13 Bundesliga goals with his former club Stuttgart.
He hasn’t disappointed since relocating to British shores, with critic Danny Murphy even saying he’s making “all the right decisions” under pressure.
Despite only accumulating 11.5 accurate passes per game in the Premier League so far, the giant German has already proven his ability. midas The touch in front of goal that he discovered at Stuttgart carried over to Thun, where he scored a top-flight three goals in just four games in this tough league.
It’s no exaggeration to say that it was the start of a bright and clear life for the 23-year-old, who went on to score another goal in the Champions League and had to lead the team as Newcastle’s main marksman when Ouissa was sidelined with an injury.
But despite his glowing praise, the former Club Brugge attacker may be frightened by the prospect of Thiago making the move to Tyneside, given his torrid performances for Keith Andrews’ side.
Even before looking at his head-to-head stats, the South American has averaged a surprisingly high number of wins this season despite being second only to his larger-than-life opponents at 6ft 2in, averaging 5.3 wins per game, second only to Ultemade’s four wins.
25/26 Thiago vs Walte Maid | ||
|---|---|---|
Statistics (* = per match) | Thiago | walte made |
games played | 7 | 4 |
Number of points scored | 4 | 3 |
assist | 0 | 0 |
touch* | 26.6 | 26.5 |
Total Win Duels* | 5.3 | 4 |
Statistics by Sofa Score | ||
The table above only reinforces the idea that Thiago could rival Waltemaade for the starting spot if he were to take part in January’s blockbuster move, with the 24-year-old having scored one more goal in the Premier League than his former Stuttgart rival this season, albeit with just three games remaining.
Thiago will also not be afraid to ruffle feathers and take the German’s starting spot, having had to take on a high-pressure position as Brentford’s standout attacker this summer following the departures of Brian Mbeumo and Wissa from the Bees.
It seems somewhat unrealistic that Newcastle, who have already spent a large amount of money on players such as Wolte Maid, would go all out to acquire Thiago.
But signing the Brazilian as Wilson’s first deal would certainly get his tenure as sporting director off to a great start.
