Newcastle United must act swiftly if they are to have a squad strong enough to compete in both the Premier League and Champions League next term.
So far, only Anthony Elanga has made the move to the Magpies this summer. That was an excellent piece of business, but more is required for Eddie Howe.
There has been no shortage of links, that’s for sure, but other clubs have beaten them to the punch for players such as Joao Pedro, Hugo Ekitiké and Bryan Mbeumo.
Although adding another striker or two to the squad is a priority for the manager, there are other areas which could do with strengthening.
Newcastle’s search for a new midfielder
The midfield area has not been earmarked for improvement, especially not compared to the attacking and defensive departments at the club.
That’s not to say Howe won’t consider a move for someone who could offer the right qualities, however.
According to journalist Graeme Bailey, Newcastle are looking at the possibility of bringing Conor Gallagher back to the Premier League this summer.
That being said, the Toon face competition from Tottenham Hotspur, with Thomas Frank said to be an admirer.
The player’s agent has already started putting the feelers out to determine the midfielder’s options but he would ideally stay with Atletico Madrid if he had the choice.
The Atleti star could be available for around £50m, which might be tempting for Howe. The manager can call on several midfield options, but adding in Gallagher could be a wise move, particularly considering the former Chelsea man offers the same sort of qualities as Bruno Guimaraes.
Why Newcastle must sign Conor Gallagher
Guimaraes is the fulcrum behind this Newcastle side that not only won the League Cup last term, but also secured a Champions League place for the second time in three seasons.
He scored five goals and grabbed eight assists throughout 2024/25, and Howe will be looking for him to continue this fine form into next season.
Gallagher may have played 50 times for Atletico, but only 27 of those came from the starting XI. He has qualities similar to Guimaraes, however, especially when comparing their stats from the 2023/24 Premier League season.
That term, Guimaraes was the most comparable player, via FBRef, to Gallagher, and they both performed well.
|
Gallagher vs Guimaraes in 2023/24 (PL only) |
||
|---|---|---|
|
Metric |
||
|
Goals |
7 |
5 |
|
Assists |
8 |
7 |
|
Big chances created |
12 |
11 |
|
Tackles per game |
2.4 |
2.3 |
|
Total duels won per game |
7.7 |
5.7 |
|
Key passes per game |
1.7 |
1.4 |
The pair also registered similar statistics with regard to goals and assists (12 vs 15), shots per 90 (1.38 vs 1.32), shot-creating actions per 90 (3.14 vs 3.94), tackles won (52 vs 53), successful take-on percentage (58.5% vs 54.5%) and touches in the attacking penalty area (79 vs 75) domestically that season.
On this evidence, Gallagher would be an excellent signing, offering Howe the all-round package in the middle of the park that Guimaraes also provides.
Not only can he contribute in the final third, but the Englishman is more than able to chip in defensively and help his team off the ball.
He was even hailed as a “machine” by former Chelsea teammate Moises Caicedo, signifying how important he was to their style of play.
Will Howe be willing to shell out £50m for a midfielder when he is in urgent need of a striker and defender this summer? Only time will tell, but Gallagher would certainly be worth the money.
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