Newcastle could land "phenomenal" 35m Anderson upgrade
Newcastle could land "phenomenal" 35m Anderson upgrade
What's that, jettisoning away from St. James' Park, leaving Newcastle United for a lofty fee without actually kicking a ball under Eddie Howe's management?
It's 19-year-old Yankuba Minteh, who has been sold to Premier League rivals Brighton & Hove Albion for no small sum of £30m, one year on from signing for Newcastle from Danish side Odense for a peppercorn fee. Eliott Anderson has also left his boyhood club, joining Nottingham Forest in a deal worth £35m.
Given that Alexander Isak, Anthony Gordon and Bruno Guimaraes are names battered by intense speculation about their respective futures on Tyneside as United scramble to placate the all-seeing glare of PSR, it's not been too shabby a process for the Magpies.
Who needs a sporting director, ay? The Magpies have impressed, slaloming past financial obstacles obstructing their path, and now the focus can be fixed on reinforcing the talented squad, who will watch European football from home next season after Manchester United's FA Cup triumph severed a pathway to the Conference League.
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Lewis Hall's loan move from Chelsea has been made permanent, while Lloyd Kelly has completed a free transfer after his contract at Bournemouth expired. Now, Howe needs to turn his attention to the centre of the field.
Newcastle should sign a midfielder
Pickings aren't exactly slim in the engine room. Bruno Guimaraes holds sway as the all-imposing linchpin, flanked in the central circle by Joelinton and Sean Longstaff, joined in the squad by Joe Willock, Lewis Miley and Sandro Tonali (who is suspended until August).
Newcastle need some more zest in midfield though, especially now that Anderson has left. Signing a creative-minded player is surely imperative, with such thoughts summed up by former Arsenal and Brazil midfielder Gilberto Silva.
The 47-year-old said "moving to Newcastle would be good" for Fulham midfielder Andreas Pereira, who is currently performing at the Copa America with Brazil, following recent reports suggesting that the Magpies could move for the £35m-rated star if midfield players are sold.
Well, Anderson has now gone, and Longstaff is being touted with a move away given his homegrown status. This is certainly one to keep an eye on.
What Andreas Pereira would bring to Newcastle
Pereira first graced the English game after signing for Manchester United in his formative years from PSV Eindhoven, going on to make 75 senior appearances for the Red Devils but always sitting on the periphery, signing for Fulham in a £10m deal in 2022.
It's been a tremendous couple of years at Craven Cottage, with the Brazilian principally playing in an attacking midfield role that could work wonders at Newcastle, connecting the middle and offensive thirds and enhancing the overall fluency of Howe's unit.
Eight goals and 15 assists across the two terms is not a bad return, providing a creative flair to Marco Silva's outfit and experience besides, living up to past praise from Jose Mourinho for his "phenomenal" level.
The 28-year-old's playmaking quality would be a brilliant addition to the Newcastle squad, especially given the already-staggering goalscoring run of Isak and the flying runs of the likes of Gordon, who would relish such a range of passing threaded into his path.
Some might feel that Guimaraes offers that kind of skill, but the touted midfielder sits at the base of the midfield, averaging 1.7 key passes per game. Joelinton, more of a barging and mobile player, averaged 1.2 per outing last term.
Anderson, who only started ten Premier League matches last season, played in a more advanced position that could see Pereira welcomed as a natural successor, more established, sharper.
Why Pereira could be an Anderson upgrade
Anderson only averaged 0.7 key passes per top-flight fixture last year, though this is understandable given his stuttering starting berths and youth.
Still, the Toon native has been praised for his "effortless" talent in the past by former Newcastle boss Steve Bruce. Losing him is a blow; Magpies supporters will be certain that he will bloom into an impressive Premier League star at the City Ground.
As per FBref, he ranks among the top 19% of midfielders across Europe's top five leagues over the past year for assists, the top 3% for progressive carries and successful take-ons and the top 6% for blocks per 90. Such metrics emphasise the rounded and progressive nature of his skill set.
It also nods toward the up-and-coming talent's budding playmaking ability, something that Pereira could mitigate and then some, given that he, having played far more football, ranks among the top 8% of positional peers for assists placed per 90.
Part of the reason that Pereira has been so effective for Fulham over the past few years has been the protection offered by Joao Palhinha, hailed as a "defensive monster" by data and video analyst Marcus Bring after incredibly averaging 4.6 tackles per game and winning 7.8 duels on average in the Premier League last season.
Guimaraes is not so defensive a midfielder from the deep layer of the midfield, but he still averaged 2.4 tackles and 7.7 successful duels per match.
Pereira would find promising conditions from which he could flourish at St. James' Park, and if Newcastle are indeed serious in their interest, he could be the dream addition to set them flying and forget about Anderson's departure pretty quickly.
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