An update has emerged regarding Newcastle United‘s interest in Ismaila Sarr in the summer transfer window…
What’s the talk?
Speaking on Sky Sports (via Football Daily), Dharmesh Sheth has revealed that the Watford winger is one of the players on the Tyneside club’s radar.
Dan Ashworth is looking to add a new wide man to Eddie Howe’s squad ahead of the 2022/23 campaign and has identified Sarr as a target.
Sheth has stated that Bayer Leverkusen’s Moussa Diaby is the Magpies’ number one target, but the Hornets star is viewed as a cheaper alternative if they cannot afford a deal for the Frenchman.
Big Ryan Fraser upgrade
By snapping up the Senegal international this summer, Ashworth could land a big upgrade on Scottish winger Ryan Fraser for Howe.
In two seasons playing for the Magpies, the former Bournemouth man has not been able to showcase his quality on a consistent basis in the final third. Since arriving from the south coast, Fraser has only scored two goals and provided five assists in 45 Premier League matches.
Meanwhile, Sarr has produced 10 goals and eight assists over 50 outings in his two seasons for Watford in the English top flight, suffering relegations in both campaigns but nonetheless showing that he can score and set up goals at the top level.
This shows that he put up more impressive numbers than Fraser whilst playing in a worse team, given that the Newcastle winger finished in mid-table in both of his seasons on Tyneside.
Ben Foster previously praised the 24-year-old Vicarage Road wizard as a “freak” of a talent and hailed his ability on the ball, saying: “It’s scary, isn’t it, really? It’s almost like everything seems to just be off the cuff. Every single time he gets the ball, even he doesn’t know what he’s going to do, but it will end up being good either way.”
Also, the Watford attacker is four years younger than Fraser and has the potential to get even better as he gains more experience at the top level.
Therefore, he could be a big upgrade on the Scot at St James’ Park next season, and the gap between them may grow if he is able to fulfill his potential working under Howe.
It has been reported that Sarr is set to be available for a fee in the region of €35m (£30m), so Newcastle must now pounce on the dynamo to improve their options out wide.
AND in other news, Forget Ekitike: Newcastle now “close to” landing second summer signing, Howe will be elated…
