Newcastle want to sign a £25m paceman who will play alongside Botman

The January transfer window officially opened for business last week and Newcastle United They could use the winter market to strengthen their squad ahead of the second half of the season.

After a 2-1 win over Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday, Newcastle finished fifth in the league Premier League table, which could give them Champions League qualification for the 2025/26 season.

Eddie HoweReal Madrid are in the race for a place in Europe's premier cup competition for the second time during his tenure and could add more quality to their squad to give the squad a boost heading into the final few months of the term.

Newcastle have won ten wins and drawn five of their opening Premier League matches so far, scoring 34 goals and conceding just 22 so far.

This shows that Howe already has a complete squad that has provided plenty of quality offensively and defensively in the top flight, meaning they don't have to make wholesale changes to the squad in this window.

However, one or two good additions could improve the squad, and Newcastle are said to be in the market to bolster their options at centre-back.

Newcastle's interest in the French League giant

According to CaughtOffsideNewcastle United are just one of a number of teams interested in a deal to sign RC Lens centre-back Kevin Danso before the February deadline.

The report claims that both the Magpies and fellow Premier League side Wolverhampton Wanderers and West Ham United want to sign the former Southampton giant, who played in the Premier League during his loan spell with the Saints in the 2019/20 season.

She adds that European teams Juventus, Inter Milan, Roma, Bayern Munich, Fenerbahce and Villarreal could also compete to secure his services before the second half of the season. This suggests that there may be a lot of competition for the centre-back and that it will not be easy for Howe and his team to complete the deal.

CaughtOffside reveals that Lens is looking for a fee of up to €30m (£25m) to allow their star defender to move on from the club this month, although it remains to be seen whether any of the interested clubs are willing to pay that much for him. His signature.

The report describes it as a “reasonable” price but does not explicitly state that Newcastle shares this view, so it is unclear how likely a deal with the Magpies is at this moment in time.

If Howe and the recruitment team can secure a move for Danso, he could come in and play a starring role alongside Sven Botman in the back four from now on.

Sven Putman's successful return to work

The Dutch defender made his first appearance for Newcastle since March in the 2-1 win over Tottenham on Saturday, starting alongside Dan Byrne at centre-back.

Despite playing on the right side of the pair, as a left-footed player, Botman produced an impressive display to help his side secure three points against Ange Postecoglou's side, with a strong display off the ball.

As you can see in the table above, the former Ajax star made a number of important defensive tackles to prevent Martin Dubravka from getting into trouble, while not allowing any Spurs players to dribble past him in 89 minutes.

The 24-year-old star's best form came during the 2022/23 season, his first season in England, where he participated Played 36 times In the English Premier League, he helped the team keep 11 clean sheets while qualifying for the Champions League.

Putman He won 68% of his ground duels And 66% of his aerial contests in the division that season, which shows that he has the defensive quality and physical strength to dominate opposition attackers on the ground and in the air on a regular basis.

As a left-footed player, the Newcastle giant must also play on the left side of the duo perfectly, which is partly why Danso is a dream signing for him this month.

Why should Newcastle sign Kevin Danso?

Firstly, the Austria international is a right-footed defender who operates on the right side of the defence, meaning he will complement the left-footed Botman as part of a balanced duo.

Secondly, and more importantly, Danso's form in Ligue 1 with Lens suggests that he has the quality to come in and form a strong partnership with the Dutchman from a defensive perspective.

As you can see in the chart above, the Austrian giant, which analyst Ben Mattinson claimed to own The “fast” pace of recovery.offers more than Botman in possession as a progressive passer and ball carrier – based on their form over the past 365 days.

This suggests that Danso can step up as the aggressive player who takes the ball from the duo to push Newcastle up the pitch, while the Dutch star can sit back and focus on being a dominant defensive force.

As you can see in the table above, the 26-year-old has outperformed Fabian Schar, Newcastle's current right-footed defender, on a host of key defensive metrics.

Schar, who turns 34 this year, could provide a great and experienced option in the squad if the club can agree a deal for Danso, who looks to have the quality to be a great long-term replacement for the Switzerland international.

His stats for Lens suggest that he has the ability, both on and off the ball, to slot in alongside Botman at centre-back, as he is a progressive passer who also dominates the air and is great at cutting down the opposition. Attacks.