Newcastle United have yet to make a signing so far this summer and it’s fair to say a large section of the fanbase are getting edgy.
Eddie Howe must bolster several areas of his squad ahead of next season, especially with Champions League football returning to St James’ Park once again.
There hasn’t been a shortage of names linked. From Joao Pedro to Harvey Elliott, Howe is keen on strengthening his attacking options.
It is the defence which perhaps needs the most work, however. Could a deal for Marc Guehi be completed before the end of the window?
Newcastle’s pursuit of Marc Guehi
The Magpies have been tracking Guehi for quite some time now, and it remains to be seen whether Howe will be able to make a concrete move to sign him.
Last season, the English centre-back ranked highly across a range of metrics when compared to his peers. Indeed, he ranked in the top 21% for ball recoveries (4.3) per 90 and in the top 20% for blocks (1.62) and in the top 22% for dribblers tackled (0.91) per 90.
He also won an impressive 63% of his ground duels per game in the Premier League last term, suggesting that the defender would make for an excellent signing.
|
Guehi’s PL stats for Crystal Palace last term (per 90) |
|
|---|---|
|
Accurate passes |
43.1 |
|
Tackles |
1.8 |
|
Interceptions |
0.8 |
|
Total duels won |
4.9 |
|
Possession lost |
9.7 |
|
Ball recoveries |
4.3 |
Yet, with Liverpool now in talks to land the Englishman, reportedly even closing in on a move, the Toon will have to turn to alternative options.
Newcastle’s dream Guehi alternative
According to reports in Italy (via Sport Witness), Newcastle are locked in talks to sign Atalanta defender Giorgio Scalvini this summer.
The report states that Atalanta don’t want to sell the 21-year-old, but if an offer of around €40-50m (£34m – £43m) arrives, they might have to reconsider.
It won’t be cheap bringing the player to Newcastle, but he could be a dream Guehi alternative, that’s for sure.
The youngster only played six league games last term, but he still won 57% of his total duels per game, as well as averaging 1.3 tackles per game and succeeding with 85% of his passes.
Hailed as a “top talent” by none other than Fabrizio Romano back in 2022, Scalvini could come of age should he make a move to St James’ Park this summer.
While he didn’t play often last term, when compared to his peers during Atalanta’s victorious Europa League campaign in 2023/24, he sparkled across several metrics.
Not only did he rank in the top 2% for tackles per 90 (3.94), but he also ranked in the top 21% for progressive carries (1.31) and in the top 7% for ball recoveries (7.69) per 90.
Pitting those numbers against Guehi last term, Guehi only made 1.79 tackles, 0.65 progressive carries and 4.30 ball recoveries per 90 minutes.
Against Bayer Leverkusen in the Europa League final that season, the Italian notably managed to keep the likes of Florian Wirtz and Victor Boniface quiet, winning three of his four duels and losing possession just once.
Should he make the move to Newcastle and replicate that performance on a consistent basis, Scalvini could perhaps be an even better signing than Guehi. That’s for sure.
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