Newcastle: Lovro Majer could be Howe’s own David Silva
The Magpies are reportedly keen on a deal for the Croatian international this summer
Newcastle United are expected to officially complete the signing of Italy international Sandro Tonali this week as their second piece of incoming business this summer, following Yankuba Minteh through the door.
Fabrizio Romano recently reported that the Magpies have delayed their announcement and that it will arrive in the coming days, with the central midfielder poised to join from Serie A giants AC Milan.
However, Eddie Howe and Dan Ashworth still have around two months left of the summer transfer window to bolster the squad with further additions as they prepare for Champions League football next season.
One player who has been linked with a switch to St. James’ Park ahead of the 2023/24 campaign is Rennes attacking midfielder Lovro Majer, who is said to be available for a fee in the region of €40m (£34m).
What is Lovro Majer’s style of play?
The Croatian is a silky left-footed number ten who could become Howe’s own version of Manchester City magician David Silva if he arrives on Tyneside this summer.
Majer’s performances for Rennes in France last season earned him a comparison to the Spaniard, who currently plays for Real Sociedad in LaLiga at the age of 37.
As you can see in the above graphic, as provided by Opta, both players excel at receiving touches in the opposition’s box and are able to create chances at an impressive rate among their positional peers.
Silva was an outstanding creative threat for City during his time in England as he registered 106 assists in 309 Premier League matches, which is an average of an assist every 2.91 starts. This shows that the mercurial talent was capable of providing his teammates with goalscoring opportunities on a regular basis.
Majer is a player who has the potential to offer a similar level of quality in possession, based on his form for Rennes since the start of the 2021/22 campaign.
Over the last two seasons, the Croatian maestro has racked up 13 assists along with 12 ‘big chances’ created in 39 Ligue 1 starts, which works out as an assist every three starts on average.
The 25-year-old, who was once lauded as “phenomenal” by talent scout Jacek Kulig, also managed nine assists in 31 league games for Dinamo Zagreb in the 2020/21 campaign before his move to France.
These figures show that the 21-cap international has been a consistent creative threat for his clubs over the last three years, which suggests that he has the potential to be an outstanding creator for Newcastle in the same way that Silva has been throughout his career.
No Magpies midfielder produced more than six Premier League assists last term and Majer, who has conjured eight or more assists in two of the last three league seasons, could come in to provide a boost in that department as a player with the ability to unlock a defence week-in-week-out.
