Right wingers Newcastle could sign - Brazilian, Premier League duo, BVB star and Ligue 1 wildcard
One of the key positions for the club to strengthen is the right wing slot. Miguel Almiron and Jacob Murphy have been steady Premier League players, but neither offer the level of work rate and end product that Anthony Gordon does on the left side.
Eddie Howe will be looking for a right forward who is productive in the final third and able to physically fit into his side. Below, we discuss five potential targets.
Raphinha - Barcelona
Mark this one up as very unlikely due to the cost of the transfer and his wage packet. However, Raphinha would be the perfect right winger for Eddie Howe's system. He is very good in the final third, works hard without the ball and has two seasons of Premier League experience. The Brazilian ticks every box, although the price will be prohibitive.
Raphinha's form this season for Barcelona has been excellent. He has contributed nine goals and 12 assists across the two major competitions, with a goal involvement every 87.5 minutes. The Brazilian has elite underlying numbers. He averages 4.02 shots and 5.39 shot creating actions per ninety minutes. These place him 99th and 88th percentiles respectively when compared to other wingers.
During his two seasons in England, Raphinha got 17 goals and 12 assists for Leeds United. In the second season, the team struggled, but he continued to perform consistently and proved why he deserved a chance for a Champions League team.
His work rate separates him from other elite attacking players. Marcelo Bielsa demands high intensity running from his players and Raphinha has carried that on during his time at Barcelona. If we could find an agreeable package with club and player, he would be the perfect right sided attacker for us.
Bryan Mbeumo - Brentford
A more realistic signing would be Bryan Mbeumo from Brentford. He has been linked to us early in the window and it is a move that would make a lot of sense. It would be a step up for him and at the age of 24, he still has a lot of room to develop. For a coach like Eddie Howe, it would be the perfect profile of player for him to mould.
This season, Bryan Mbeumo took a step forward and emerged as a top quality Premier League operator. This was especially true when Ivan Toney was absent from the Brentford team. Many feared this would cause issues for the Bees, but Mbeumo stepped up and showed he could be the leader of the attack.
In the season that has just ended, Mbeumo contributed nine goals and six assists, with a goal involvement every 130.7 minutes. Considering he was operating in a team in the bottom half of the season, that is an impressive return.
Mbeumo's average of 0.34 expected goals (xG) and 0.21 expected assisted goals (xAG) per ninety minutes show his quality in the final third. These rank him in the 85th and 62nd percentiles respectively.
He likes to get into the box, as shown by his average of 5.1 touches in the opposition penalty area. Mbeumo takes up dangerous positions to get the ball and receives 8.95 progressive passes per ninety minutes.
From the available options with Premier League experience, Mbeumo would be a great signing for us.
Dejan Kulusevski - Tottenham
Another Premier League winger that would be perfect for us this summer is Dejan Kulusevski. He may be considered tougher to prise away from Tottenham, but there have been rumours over the last 12 months that Spurs could be willing to part with him. If that is true, he could emerge on our radar.
Kulusevski is an excellent ball progresser and creator. His return of eight goals and three assists in the Premier League doesn't stand out, but Tottenham look a much more fluid attacking force when he is in the team. The Swede averages 4.69 progressive passes and 4.92 progressive carries, which place him in the 70th and 81st percentiles respectively.
The 24-year-old has a very good ability at picking up space between the lines and offering himself as an option for his team in attacking situations. Kulusevski averages 7.36 touches in the opposition penalty area (95th percentile) and 12.64 progressive pass receptions (93rd percentile). These are elite numbers.
Although Kulusevski lacks raw pace, he is a hard worker with an average of 2.02 tackles and 0.59 interceptions per ninety minutes. He is suited to a high pressing game and he is intelligent with the ball. At 24, he can still improve and it would be a huge coup if we were able to sign him this summer.
Karim Adeyemi - Borussia Dortmund
A couple more names can be considered from abroad. The first caught the eye against us in the Champions League. Karim Adeyemi is an exciting prospect, who is still very raw at the age of 22. There have been rumours that Dortmund will be willing to sell him in order to fund a deal to sign Jadon Sancho.
Adeyemi showed both his strengths and weaknesses in the recent Champions League final. His directness and movement led to him getting two big chances, but his rawness in front of goal prevented him from taking either. However, it is much easier to work with a player that has the former than doesn't.
The forward has long been touted for greatness since his time in Austria. In his final season for Salzburg, he scored 19 times, which shows that he can be prolific in front of goal. In the Bundesliga, he has nine goals and six assists across two seasons.
An average of 4.33 progressive carries (73rd percentile) and 0.29 non-penalty xG (75th percentile) show the qualities that Adeyemi possesses. He is a powerful dribbler with explosive pace. As a goal threat, he has plenty to work with.
Adeyemi has already impressed at St James' Park and he is an exciting attacker with European pedigree. His lack of a consistent end product would mark him with some risk, but it would have to be considered a coup if we were to sign him.
Edon Zhegrova - Lille
A wildcard from Ligue 1 is Lille's Edon Zhegrova. He has a cultured playing career to date, with time spent in Belgium, Switzerland and France. At the age of 25, he could be ready for a major step up to the Premier League. This would be seen as a risk if we signed him to be our starting right winger, but he could develop into an excellent player.
In Ligue 1, he contributed six goals and six assists. This doesn't stand out as Zhegrova being very productive, but his underlying numbers tell a different story and indicate a much higher ceiling.
The attacker averaged 3.23 shots and 4.84 shot creating actions per ninety minutes. These place Zhegrova in the 91st and 82nd percentiles among other wide forwards. He is very active in the attacking third and there is potential for his end product to upscale significantly.
Zhegrova is intelligent and regularly takes up the right positions between the lines. The Kosovan is exciting to watch, as he can be electric when dribbling with the ball. His average of 3.54 successful take-ons (95th percentile) display his quality in ball progression.
One of the tasks for our club is to find players with untapped potential before they explode. Zhegrova could be one that fits that bill.
