Newcastle United has acknowledged that a summer transfer attempt to get Brentford forward Bryan Mbeumo may not succeed since the attacker is apparently more interested in joining Manchester United.
The Magpies are no longer concerned about whether that will occur because Eddie Howe and the ruling class have shifted their focus to other possibilities, namely Anthony Elanga and Mohammed Kudus. Although Callum Wilson and Newcastle are negotiating a new deal, the veteran striker struggled with injuries last season and didn’t contribute any goals, so it wouldn’t hurt to have some more firepower to go along with Alexander Isak.
Newcastle is preparing to get a new striker.
Joao Pedro of Brighton & Hove Albion is at the top of the shopping list, but Newcastle might be planning to buy a center-forward who is even more intriguing.
Football Insider claims that after watching the prolific striker, Newcastle is planning to make an official approach for Porto’s Samu Aghehowa in the upcoming months. The 21-year-old’s contract has an £82.5 million release clause, although a fee of £63 million has been suggested for his sale.
As they want to replace Rasmus Hojlund, Manchester United is also keen, and the Premier League rivals might compete for the number nine spot.
What Samu Omorodion would bring to Newcastle
Aghehowa, who is tall, strong, and gifted with quick speed, possesses the essential abilities to become a formidable striker in the Premier League and, more importantly, a perfect counterpart to Isak’s breezy energy.
Although he may not be the final product, this wouldn’t be a bad thing because Aghehowa would be joining a Newcastle club that has been gifted with Wilson, an accomplished poacher, and Isak, “the best striker in the Premier League,” according to commentator Jamie Carragher. The combination is excellent and has the potential to propel Aghehowa to the top. With proper man-management over the next few years, he might even prove to be an even greater star than Pedro.
Pedro has scored 30 goals and provided 10 assists in 70 games since moving from Watford to Brighton in a transfer worth almost £30 million two years ago, but 18 of his goals have come from the penalty spot. The ceiling of Aghehowa is higher. Just weeks after a transfer to Chelsea fell through, Omorodion joined Porto from Atletico Madrid last summer. Since then, he has flourished in Portugal, scoring 25 goals in 42 games across all competitions, including a six-goal haul in the Europa League that saw him blow two goals past Manchester United.
| League 24/25 – Samu Omorodion vs Joao Pedro | ||
|---|---|---|
| Stats (* per game) | Omorodion | Pedro |
| Matches (starts) | 30 (23) | 27 (23) |
| Goals | 19 | 10 |
| Assists | 3 | 6 |
| Shots (on target)* | 2.7 (1.1) | 1.7 (0.7) |
| Big chances missed | 18 | 7 |
| Pass completion | 79% | 75% |
| Big chances created | 5 | 11 |
| Key passes* | 0.6 | 1.1 |
| Dribbles* | 0.4 | 1.1 |
| Duels won* | 3.3 | 4.9 |
| Stats via Sofascore | ||
Although Brighton’s Brazilian forward is more inventive and dynamic, Newcastle needs to make the investment in the player who has the potential to become one of the most lethal number nines in the league. Talent scout Jacek Kulig hailed Aghehowa as a “monster in the making” with a “complete profile.”
READ MORE: sportchannel.co.uk
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