The midfield monster Newcastle should sign this summer

by TomTalksToon · 5 May 2024, 14:55

Newcastle United's squad must continue to grow and develop; for this you need different profiles in the same position in order to improve your tactical flexibility.

On multiple occasions, the space in behind our flat midfield three has been exploited, with none of our midfielders capable of recovering at a quick enough speed; causing us to concede a host of poor goals this season.

Across our current midfield options, the club lacks a player with a skillset designed to combat defensive transitions. Bruno Guimarães is an incredible footballer, and this suggestion of player isn't a case of them replacing Bruno, rather it would allow Newcastle to play in a different way, perhaps even giving Bruno his dream of playing in the more advanced eight role that he loves.

Beyond Bruno, no-one else can really play the six well, and this must be fixed. I think some of our eights will be moved on in the near future so I think there's room to add another midfielder to the squad.

Bruno's ability in defensive transition, lack of speed and ground coverage has proved problematic at times this season; this is where Raphael Onyedika from Club Brugge steps in.

Man on Fire' Onyedika again makes Team of Week - Score Nigeria

Onyedika is a 23 year old defensive midfielder from Nigeria with incredible defensive traits. One of his particular strengths, which would be perfect for Newcastle, is his ability in defensive transition. He has great recovery pace and long legs which help him cover more ground and deny counter-attacking threat.

In defensive ground duels he's good, but could be better. He could improve his body orientation slightly, but the sky is the ceiling for him defensively. His long frame and top quality athleticism allow him to dominate opposition attackers with relative ease.

We know by now that Eddie Howe loves players who win their headers, with set-pieces being an important layer to Newcastle's game. Onyedika is six foot tall and an absolute monster in the air: winning 90% of his aerial duels.

As well as being great defensively, he's also very good on the ball. He's comfortable dictating possession as a sole number six, and doesn't let pressure phase him. In fact, he often invites it then passes at the last moment; opening up the pitch and creating lots of space for his teammates to run into. He's comfortable receiving from different angles and also turning in all directions.

One of my favourite things about Onyedika in possession is his decision making. He knows when to play the simple ball and when to play forward. He likes progressing the play and is not hesitant to play in between the lines. His first touch is fantastic but I feel his weight of pass could definitely be improved. He has good vision for balls in-behind and is good at recognising threat on the counter and playing quick.

He's also a decent ball-striker and has recently popped up with a few goals, including a brace against Anderlecht in an incredible MOTM performance. To gain an understanding as to how he plays, here's his performance in the Conference League quarter final:

https://twitter.com/TimothyVerst/status/1782163881068306539

He's great now, but not elite yet. At 23, he has plenty of improvement left in him and Newcastle would be a great move for him. Working with a top coach in Eddie Howe, and training with top level midfielders like Bruno (hopefully) and Tonali will help his development massively.

So as a brief summary:

Technical: Well-rounded, great first touches. Can be better with weighting passes/body orientation.

Physically: One of his strongest traits; great asset for his defensive duties.

Mental: Good leader on pitch.

Overall, Onyedika would improve Newcastle's tactical flexibility while also not taking a massive chunk of the budget up.