Newcastle: Howe could replace Dan Burn with “unbelievable” Toon star
Eddie Howe must tinker at his squad after a poor start to the season…
Newcastle United have been busy this summer after an exceptional 2022/23 campaign under the leadership of Eddie Howe, who has spearheaded a long-awaited renaissance on Tyneside after years mired in mediocrity with detested owner Mike Ashley heading the table.
The £300m Saudi-led PIF takeover in 2021 was the genesis of a new era at St. James’ Park, pumping money and care into an outfit desperate for a spot among Europe’s elite once again.
Well, that’s now been realised expeditiously; Howe transformed a relegation-battling outfit and secured a comfortable finish before enjoying a season of newfound success last time out.
To bolster the squad this summer, a wealth of signings were made and Newcastle are now poised for a lasting position battling for success season after season.
Sandro Tonali, Harvey Barnes, Yankuba Minteh, Tino Livramento and Lewis Hall were all welcomed to the Premier League side, now hoping to continue the meteoric rise.
How did Newcastle perform last season?
Last year, Newcastle were anticipating an exciting campaign after rising from the rubble to finish 11th with 49 points in the 2021/22 term after the emphatic purple patch following the winter transfer window.
What ensued came to the astonishment of even the most stern believers of Howe’s vision for United, with a tremendous season built on cohesion and collective understanding within the squad resulting in Newcastle’s qualification for the first time in two decades.
Indeed, losing just five times all season and concluding the term with the joint-best defence in the division – alongside champions Manchester City – the Magpies now await the return to Europe’s premier continental competition, with a tantalising group phase against Paris Saint-Germain, Borussia Dortmund and AC Milan confirmed.
While the defence was compact and resilient, the frontal vanguard enjoyed ample success too, with £63m club-record acquisition Alexander Isak impressing despite suffering an injury-hit year and Callum Wilson simply superb with his prolific presence up top.
Sven Botman was signed from French side Lille for around £35m as the club’s new star centre-back, completing a backline that had previously welcomed Kieran Trippier and Dan Burn from Atletico Madrid and Brighton & Hove Albion respectively the past January.
Burn, notably, thrived as a makeshift left-back for the duration of the campaign, with the 6 foot 6 colossus hailed as an “absolute steal” by pundit Frank McAvennie.
Unorthodox, Burn was not the marauding modern full-back but instead utilises his solid defensive skills to maintain an iron-clad grip on the backline’s structure and fluidity, ranking among the top 1% of positional peers across Europe’s top five leagues over the past year for aerial wins, the top 10% for clearances and the top 21% for blocks per 90, as per FBref.
While he impressed last year, Burn has been among the culprits for the poor start to the present season, with Newcastle losing three Premier League matches on the trot after a scintillating 5-1 win over Aston Villa in August.
Should Newcastle replace Dan Burn?
The £55k-per-week titan has started all four of Newcastle’s opening matches of the campaign, but already has conceded seven goals as opposed to four last term – having completed an enthralling 3-3 draw against free-scoring Manchester City in that period.
Against Liverpool, Botman sustained an ankle injury that has ruled him out of contention since, with no confirmation that the 23-year-old will be fully fit once again following the conclusion of the current international break.
In his stead, Burn has returned to central defence to partner long-time servant Fabian Schar, though after getting dismantled by former club Brighton & Hove Albion during a recent 3-1 loss at the Amex Stadium – courtesy of the prodigious Evan Ferguson’s hat-trick – it’s unlikely that he will disrupt Howe’s preferred axis with permanence.
During that defeat, the 31-year-old suffered a shameful display, winning just one of his seven ground duels (14%), being dribbled past twice, failing to make a tackle or interception despite committing four fouls, and being dribbled past twice.
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