St. James’ Park’s overseers are not yet in situ, with sporting director Paul Mitchell set to leave at the end of the month, but Newcastle United plan to make headway in the transfer market all the same.
Namely, Eddie Howe has his sights set on Brighton & Hove Albion’s Joao Pedro, a dynamic and versatile striker whose qualities would see him complement and contest Alexander Isak in equal measure.
However, with Liverpool running rampant in the transfer market and monitoring Anthony Gordon, the Magpies may need to find an out-and-out winger to join Howe’s cause, too.
Newcastle in the race for PL star
As per Caught Offside, Newcastle United are in the race to sign Jadon Sancho, who is almost certain to leave Manchester United this summer.
However, the Toon are joined by a host of clubs on the continent – including Borussia Dortmund, Napoli, and AC Milan – after his loan spell with Chelsea, who paid a £5m penalty to waive their obligation to buy the 25-year-old for £25m.
A swarm of interest from the Saudi Pro League throws a spanner in the works, but from a sporting perspective, Howe may offer the electric winger the perfect lifeline in his homeland.
Why Jadon Sancho could thrive at Newcastle
There’s no denying that Sancho has fallen by the wayside since leaving Borussia Dortmund and signing for Man United in a £73m package.
His recent campaign at Chelsea wasn’t poor by any stretch, but neither was it show-stopping to the degree that was promised upon his first move to the Premier League.
24/25 – Chelsea
31
3
5
23/24 – Man Utd
14
2
3
22/23 – Man Utd
26
6
3
21/22 – Man Utd
29
3
3
20/21 – Dortmund
26
8
12
19/20 – Dortmund
32
17
17
His numbers for Chelsea in the Premier League certainly left something to be desired, but then Sancho also demonstrated his intense levels of fitness and athleticism, ranking among the top 11% of the division’s attacking midfielders and wingers for progressive carries, the top 9% for successful take-ons and the top 15% for ball recoveries per 90, as per FBref.
A successful take-on is recorded when a player beats their opponent by directly carrying the ball past them while retaining possession.
Contrast that with Gordon, who may yet leave and sign for Liverpool this summer in an £80m deal, and you begin to see how Sancho might just thrive in stable conditions on Tyneside.
Indeed, Gordon, for all his qualities, only scored six goals and assisted six more in the league last term, ranked only among the top 22% for progressive carries and the top 46% for successful take-ons per 90.
FBref considered through statistical analysis the two players to be of a certain likeness, but Sancho, arguably, offered a finer illustration of his underlying qualities and the potential for even more with a more potent finish.
He’s a powerful and pacy winger, but perhaps he didn’t activate his physical attributes to the best of their ability, evidenced by Howe’s decision to bench him across five of the final eight matches of the 2024/25 campaign.
Gordon is a brilliant player, but as pundit Stan Collymore says, “at his best” Sancho is an “unplayable” forward, outfoxing his opponents with fleet-footed movements and a potency that was, frankly, ridiculous during his Dortmund days.
It’s been a rough road for the Three Lions star these past several years, but his finest football lies latent, and Howe’s remarkable tactical and interpersonal skills might just see Sancho revived as a starring member of a high-flying Newcastle team.
Therefore, Newcastle could provide the perfect stomping ground for Sancho, whose fall from grace may yet see a resurgence that could see him realise his potential and surpass even the £80m-rated Gordon.
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