Highlights
- Newcastle United’s lack of depth in their backline has been exposed by injuries to key players, emphasizing the need for reinforcements.
- The club has reportedly made a £26m bid for Genoa’s Radu Dragusin, a talented young center-back who could provide an immediate boost to the team.
- Dragusin’s impressive statistics and performance in Serie A make him a valuable target for Newcastle, potentially surpassing the abilities of injured defender Sven Botman.
Newcastle United have already suffered the consequences of failing to welcome certain reinforcements during the summer transfer window, with injuries to Sven Botman and Fabian Schar exposing the lack of depth in Eddie Howe’s backline. The Magpies boss has already been forced to play Dan Burn out of position and at centre-back this season, in a problem that he must be avoiding if he is to guide his side into the top four for a second consecutive Premier League campaign.
That said, reports suggest that Newcastle have turned their attention to providing a solution for Howe’s problem, with a bid made for one particular January target to hand those at St James’ Park a major boost for the second half of the season.
Newcastle transfer news
Despite having just three recognised senior centre-backs in the form of Jamaal Lascelles, Botman and Schar in the summer, Newcastle failed to welcome another option. And with Botman’s injury history, as well as Schar’s injury history far from positive, it was always a decision that was likely to come back to bite the Magpies. Now, with the January window approaching, Newcastle are reportedly looking to solve their centre-back shortage by welcoming a Serie A star.
According to reports in Spain, Newcastle have made a £26m bid for Genoa centre-back Radu Dragusin. Dragusin has recently signed a new contract in Italy but reportedly has a gentleman’s agreement in place that will allow him to leave if any club matches his £26m price tag, handing Newcastle a major boost in their negotiations.
The Magpies are yet to get a response, but their supposed bid suggests that they are ahead of the likes of Arsenal, West Ham United and Tottenham Hotspur, who are all also reportedly interested in the defender.
When the January transfer window opens, Genoa’s response could result in some good news for those at St James’ Park or even potentially commence a bidding war from the Premier League.
“Dominant” Dragusin can be even better than Botman
With Botman currently out injured, Dragusin has the chance to arrive in January and instantly take his place in Howe’s starting side. The 21-year-old has been incredibly impressive for Genoa this season and may get even better with a Premier League move. Dragusin’s stats certainly show that’s likely to be the case and even give Botman something to worry about.
Player | Progressive Carries | Progressive Passes | Tackles Won | Interceptions |
Radu Dragusin | 5 | 21 | 7 | 16 |
Sven Botman | 0 | 9 | 5 | 4 |
Promoted from Serie B last season, Genoa sit 15th and five points clear of the drop zone, making the work of Dragusin so far in the current campaign all the more impressive. The central defender has earned deserved praise as a result, with Football Talent Scout’s Jacek Kulig describing him as “dominant” and his listing his strengths as: “Tackling, athleticism, positioning, heading, passing, anticipation.”
With that said, Newcastle could get the perfect solution to their depth problems in the January transfer window, as they face the wait to find out whether their reported £26m bid for Dragusin is successful.
