Newcastle United have had a phenomenal season after acquiring a number of new additions over the last 12 months and Eddie Howe will surely be keen to continue to build a team who can dominate in the Premier League for years to come.
The Magpies are currently third in the league table with their wildest dreams of Champions League football comfortably on course to become a reality next season, alongside an incredible run in the League Cup where they reached their first domestic cup final at Wembley since 1999.
Indeed, Howe will be absolutely thrilled with the progress his current team has made and the outstanding transformations of some players like Sean Longstaff, Joelinton and Miguel Almiron, which has been absolutely crucial to their success this season.
However, if Champions League football is secured at St James’ Park there will need to be some serious summer recruitment made ahead of next season to ensure they can compete in multiple competitions, maintain their Premier League dominance and compete to a high standard in their pursuit to win a trophy.
One player who has been linked with a move to Tyneside this summer is Leicester City midfielder Youri Tielemans and the talented dynamo could be exactly what Newcastle need in the centre of the pitch to add depth and quality.
Will Youri Tielemans join Newcastle United?
There is no doubt that the rapid progression that Newcastle has experienced since their Saudi-led takeover in November 2021 will be an incredibly attractive prospect for any player looking for the next challenge in their career, so it would be a perfect fit for Tielemans following a disappointing season with the Foxes.
Longstaff has been a loyal and reliable servant to the team, but bringing in a player who can provide Bruno Guimaraes and Joelinton with the freedom to break the lines and comfortably impact the attacking threat without having to constantly look over their shoulders, like they did last season with Jonjo Shelvey.
The 25-year-old Belgian dynamo has comfortably outperformed Longstaff in defensive attributes this season, including blocks (32 v 28), tackles and interceptions won (67 v 52), take-on success rate (66.7% vs 28%), ball recoveries (156 vs 128) and aerial duels won (63% vs 46%) – as per FBref.
Having a quality ball-winning midfielder who is prolific at defensive actions in the centre of the pitch is desperately needed at St James’ Park, with journalist Charlie Bennett claiming that Guimaraes, Joelinton and Tielemans would form a “Champions League-level” midfield if the £35k-per-week dynamo were to join the Magpies.
Not only that, Tielemans ranks in the top 20% of his positional peers across the top five European leagues for tackles, blocks, shot-creating actions and progressive passes per 90, proving that he is displaying qualities that puts him amongst some of the best midfielders in Europe and it also shows why he’d be a reliable and combative asset in the heart of Howe’s midfield.
With that being said, Newcastle are not short of pennies in their bank account, however, there is a real opportunity to bring in a player for free with the right profile that could considerably improve their midfield should they find themselves coming up against Europe’s elite next season.