Newcastle United have made headway over the past month and are now within touching distance of the Carabao Cup final. Winning the domestic trophy and ending a long-stretching barren spell would be the perfect endorsement of Eddie Howe‘s tenure.
However, those with knowledge of Newcastle and the gains made over the past three years will also stress that Howe should not be defined by his success in this one stream of the season.
St James’ Park is on its way to becoming a goliath of the English game once more, and the Magpies are beginning to get more and more ambitious in the transfer market.
Newcastle hoping to make statement signing
As per L’Equipe, Newcastle are a surprise name in the race to sign Khvicha Kvaratkskhelia this month, though Paris Saint-Germain are firm favourites in the race for the £68m-rated Napoli star.
PSG might be in the driving seat but they have reservations concerning the finances that would be involved and this could open the door to teams like Newcastle.
The Times recently reported that Liverpool are perhaps the leading contender from England, but with the feel-good factor mounting on Tyneside, sporting director Paul Mitchell might just be convinced to have a pop at one of the game’s most coveted wingers.
What Khvicha Kvaratskhelia would bring to Newcastle
Newcastle’s seven-match winning streak has pushed Howe’s side toward silverware, yes, but it’s also resurrected their Premier League campaign, thus reopening the door to Champions League qualification.
As they continue to improve, Newcastle’s pull power strengthens too – why wouldn’t Kvaratskhelia be enticed by joining a fluent strikeforce containing Alexander Isak and Anthony Gordon?
Kvaratskhelia, 23, would probably fancy himself better than Gordon, who won United’s Player of the Year for 2023/24. Indeed, the Georgia sensation has posted 59 goal contributions from 109 matches for his Naples side, beating Victor Osimhen to the Serie A Player of the Season for 2022/23 as Napoli clinched the Scudetto.
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While Kvaratskhelia would have to jockey for the left-wing role that Gordon typically occupies, he’d arguably be an upgrade. Indeed, as his former Rubin Kazan boss Leonid Slutsky has claimed, the in-demand Georgian “could play in any starting XI in the world”.
Furthermore, Gordon has played across different roles regularly for the Magpies and this will be something that Howe will consider.
|
Anthony Gordon – Newcastle Stats by Position |
|||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Position |
Apps |
Goals |
Assists |
|
Left winger |
63 |
15 |
12 |
|
Centre-forward |
7 |
2 |
0 |
|
Right winger |
13 |
1 |
4 |
|
Attacking midfield |
3 |
1 |
0 |
|
Stats via Transfermarkt |
|||
Kvaratskhelia is an elite dribbler and an intelligent and slippery customer, but it’s his clinical output that could be perfect for Newcastle, alleviating the burden that Isak carries. As per Sofascore, he’s actually only missed 19 big chances in the Italian top flight since joining in 2022, clinically scoring 28 goals.
Gordon, conversely, has scored 17 Premier League goals for the Toon since leaving Everton in January 2023, though he’s missed 21 big chances in that timeframe.
Gordon is a fantastic player, one of Newcastle’s finest, and he will play a central role in the seasons to come. However, Howe’s project would only hit the next level with Kvaratskhelia in the mix. As talent scout Jacek Kulig put it, he’s simply “unstoppable”.
It’s a dream – some might say far-fetched, but the mere fact that United are in the running bespeaks the ambition and confidence in the direction headed.
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