Newcastle plotting move for £50m “monster” who’d be their own Saliba

Newcastle United will be hoping that their recent excellent run of form ensures they have the best chance possible of finishing in the top four of the Premier League.

After missing out on the Champions League via their league finish during 2023/24, Eddie Howe won’t want that to happen again, especially after tasting what Europe’s premier club competition has to offer.

In order to achieve this, Howe will need to bulk out his squad with a few reinforcements this month.

One area that is a priority is the attacking department. Alexander Isak is enjoying a wonderful campaign thus far, scoring 17 goals and grabbing five assists at the time of writing in all competitions.

Should he suffer an injury, however, Howe doesn’t have many options to call upon, suggesting another striker is imperative.

Elsewhere, signing a defender or two would also be a massive boost to Howe’s chances of leading the club back into the promised land of the Champions League.

Several targets have been identified of late. The question is, will any of them secure a move to St James’ Park before the transfer window closes in a couple of weeks?

Newcastle United’s January transfer targets

In recent days, Newcastle have sent scouts to watch Parma goalkeeper Zion Suzuki with regard to making a move to bring him to the North east this month.

Additionally, the Toon sent chief scout Steve Nickson to watch Brentford winger Bryan Mbeumo in action against Manchester City during the 2-2 draw that took place midweek.

The Bees are demanding a fee of around £50m for any club to secure his signature, but they won’t be entertaining bids this month.

With Lloyd Kelly emerging as a key transfer target for José Mourinho’s Fenerbahçe of late, could Howe cash in on a player who only joined the club last summer? Making a solid profit in the process.

If so, he will need to add another centre-back to his squad before the end of the window. Could he turn to Portugal to find the perfect replacement?

Newcastle have scouted Sporting defender

Ousmane Diomande is a name familiar with the Newcastle support. The club tried to sign the centre-back during the summer transfer window, but his £67m release clause proved to be too much, especially with PSR rules.

Could they make it second time lucky, however? According to Portuguese outlet A Bola (via Flashscore), the Magpies have sent scouts to monitor his performances for Sporting of late.

Howe could face plenty of competition for the Ivorian international, as Bayern Munich, Liverpool, Chelsea and Manchester United are all linked with a move.

Despite his high release clause, a bid of between €50-60m (£42m – £50m) could well be accepted by the Portuguese side, either now or during the summer transfer window.

Howe may have to offload a player or two in order to make a move for Diomande happen, but given how impressive he has been for Sporting, it could be money well spent indeed.

Ousmane Diomande’s season in numbers for Sporting CP

The 21-year-old defender has made a total of 25 appearances for his club this season, missing just one league game in the process.

In the top flight this season, Diomande holds a 94% pass success rate, while he has also averaged 1.1 tackles, 1.2 interceptions and wins 64% of his total duels contested per game, showcasing his defensive abilities and wonderful passing skill.

Diomande also loses possession just 4.7 times per game for the club domestically, which speaks to his ability to retain the ball for his side under pressure.

Adding this sort of quality to the Newcastle team would undoubtedly bolster their chances of securing a top four finish, no doubt about that.

Still to hit his peak, Diomande is already showing the characteristics of a world-class centre-back, and he could shine in the Premier League for the Magpies.

Not only that, but his attributes are fairly similar to an Arsenal defender who has arguably been one of the finest centre-backs in the English top flight over the previous couple of seasons – William Saliba.

Ousmane Diomande can be Howe’s own Saliba

The Frenchman has been a rock for Arsenal over the years. This term in the Premier League, he has won 61% of his total ground duels along with losing possession just 5.1 times on average.

Analyst Ben Mattinson lauded Diomande last year after he was linked with a move to Arsenal and Chelsea, saying: “As big of a no brainer as you can get. There’s other CB’s out there I like but like many I love Diomande.

“The thing I like about Diomande is in many ways he’s a hybrid between Gabriel and Saliba. If you allow him learn from them he could become a monster in no time.”

According to FBref, Saliba is the third-most comparable player to the Ivorian in the Champions League this season, proving that the pair are similar in terms of attributes and playing style.

Indeed, the pair have also registered similar statistics across a range of metrics in Europe’s premier club competition this season, including pass completion percentage (95% vs 93%), clearances (13 vs 20), touches in the defensive third (145 vs 181), percentage of aerial duels won (75% vs 81.8%) and carries (239 vs 216).

These statistics clearly show that both players play the game in the same way. Diomande is already displaying qualities which could see him rise to the upper echelons of the game.

A move to Newcastle would give him a platform to showcase these talents in the Premier League and could be one of the final parts of the jigsaw for Howe as he seeks a return to Europe for next term.

Much will depend on how much the manager has to spend this month, but these are the sort of transfers the club needs to make in order to progress to the next level.

The next couple of weeks could be interesting indeed.