Newcastle: Dan Ashworth “loves” £152k-a-week “top professional”

Newcastle are looking to add at least one more player to the squad before September 1st

Newcastle United want another “two” signings this summer, with one of them potentially being a £175,000-a-week star described as a “top professional” by his former boss, per transfers expert Graeme Bailey.

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Things have been going very well up on the Tyne this summer.

Following the Toon’s qualification for the Champions League – the first time in over two decades – they made quite the splash in the transfer market by signing AC Milan’s Sandro Tonali for a fee of around £55m.

And while it’s not the most outrageous fee going – especially given the club’s wealthy owners – it was more the statement of being able to lure a player of Tonali’s quality away from his boyhood club and bring him to the Northeast; it was a statement.

The following two names, Harvey Barnes and Tino Livramento, whilst a little bit less exciting, represent some excellent squad building by Eddie Howe and will undoubtedly play a significant role in the club’s ambitions to win a trophy this season.

However, for as good as those three signings are, the Magpies want more, and according to transfers expert Graeme Bailey they want at least one, if not two, more signings before the window slams shut, and one of the names may surprise some people, Marc Cucurella.

He explained the situation on 90min’s Talking Transfers podcast, saying:

“We still understand they want at least another one, and I have been told two. They would like a number ten but also another full-back on the left to cover.

“Kieran Tierney has been a long-term target we know that the interesting one is Marc Cucurella, who actually was linked again with Newcastle in January under Dan Ashworth. Dan Ashworth loves this player, and I think it’s a case of if Cucurella wants out, and Chelsea want him out, I think Newcastle are basically saying ‘oh we’ll take him, but we’re not going to pay his full wages and we’re not going to pay you a lot of money, but if you want him out, we’ll take him’.

“And I think it’s something Chelsea will consider, so watch out for Tierney and Cucurella; I think it’s a case of them two teams wanting the players out and Newcastle taking advantage.

How old is Marc Cucurella?

Born July 22nd, 1998, in Alella, Spain, the 25-year-old has had a rough year in West London since switching from Brighton & Hove Albion last August for a whopping £63m.

After starting 35 games for the Seagulls in the 2021/22 season and averaging a match rating of 6.94, the £175,000-a-week man started just 21 games for the Blues last term, averaging just 6.65 for his new team, per WhoScored.

That said, while he struggled at points, there were still elements to his games that were great, and some of his underlying numbers help to show that.

According to FBref, which compares players in similar positions across Europe’s top five leagues, the Spaniard sits in the top 2% of full-backs for tackles, the top 8% for attempted passes, and the top 11% for pass completion and blocks, all per 90.

He clearly left a good impression on his former manager Graham Potter when he was plying his trade on the south coast as the Englishman labelled him as a “top professional” when it looked like he might be leaving the club.

Football talent scout Jacek Kulig couldn’t have been more complimentary about the former Getafe star in the months leading up to his move to England, saying:

“Marc Cucurella is a great player. Fantastic mix of good technique, electric pace, determination and stamina.”

While there will always be some risk with signing a player that has had such a down year, but if Howe and Co can get him for a relatively low fee, as Bailey seems to suggest, then it might just be a deal worth doing, as if he can get back to his Brighton best he’d be a brilliant asset to have at the club.