Newcastle: Toon could sign £130m star who’s more creative than Saka
The Magpies would cement their newfound position of strength with a signing of this calibre
Following transfer reports filtering through over the past few weeks, it’s becoming clear that Newcastle United manager Eddie Howe seeks new creativity to deploy into the midfield.
The Magpies have bolstered considerably over the past few years and are now among Europe’s elite, but there is ample room for improvement and a certain Bundesliga phenomenon might just have been earmarked for transfer.
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Are Newcastle interested in Jamal Musiala?
According to 90min, Newcastle are among the growing list of suitors for Bayern Munich star Jamal Musiala, with the 20-year-old among the most coveted commodities in football at present.
Howe and co will face competition from the likes of Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United, Real Madrid and Barcelona, but given the club’s affluence and early success in the Champions League there is every possibility that an enticing package could be presented.
How good is Jamal Musiala?
Musiala joined German giants Bayern from Chelsea’s academy aged 16, but has since posted 32 goals and 25 assists from 133 senior outings for his outfit.
Praised as a player of “exceptional” quality by former Bayern CEO Oliver Kahn, £130m-rated Musiala is dynamic, artful and intelligent, with an innate ease in his dribbling and versatility that allows him to prosper across a wealth of attacking positions.
A creative menace, he is integral to the fluidity that allows strikers such as Harry Kane to receive a reliable flow of support, and he would rival Newcastle stars of Kieran Trippier’s ilk as St. James’ Park’s most inventive creators with a move.
Trippier is one of the most creative full-backs across world football, ranking among the top 2% for assists, the top 1% for shot-creating actions and the top 2% for progressive passes per 90, as per FBref.
In fact, his fertile imagination and ball-playing prowess allows him to surpass many players of notable creative standing, with Manchester United’s Bruno Fernandes, Liverpool’s Trent Alexander-Arnold and Andrew Robertson and Arsenal’s Bukayo Saka all yielding less frequent rates.
| Selected PL Players: Assist Rate | |
|---|---|
| Player | Assist rate |
| Kieran Trippier | 0.32 |
| Trent Alexander-Arnold | 0.31 |
| Bukayo Saka | 0.30 |
| Bruno Fernandes | 0.27 |
| Andy Robertson | 0.23 |
For Musiala to surpass each and every one of those established Premier League phenoms is most impressive, and while some might argue that he plays in a division of ostensibly lesser quality in the Bundesliga, he is 20 and headed right for the top.
Indeed, the prodigious German ranks among the top 10% of attacking midfielders and wingers across Europe’s top five leagues for assists, the top 2% for pass completion, the top 1% for successful take-ons and the top 16% for progressive passes per 90.
The £83k-per-week gem’s 0.31 rate of assisting does not quite surpass Trippier’s but it does put him on par with Alexander-Arnold and above the likes of Saka and Fernandes.
Saka, in particular, has been in fine fettle this season and has posted five goals and assists apiece across ten outings, with the 30-cap England international earning praise for his “ruthless” presence that has now placed him in world-class conversation.
Musiala has been hailed as a “future Ballon d’Or winner” by Bavarian teammate Alphonso Davies, and it’s clear to see why after oozing such age-belying panache.
Germany endured a miserable tournament in Qatar last year, but the coruscating bright spark was undoubtedly Musiala, who completed 12 dribbles against Costa Rica (the most ever for a teenager at the World Cup) and earned an assist against Spain.
If Newcastle truly do see an avenue to pursue regarding this talent’s signature, then no punches must be pulled in securing his services; Musiala would dominate at the heart of Newcastle’s exploits for many years to come.
