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A Very Exciting Season For Awaits Newcastle United.
Last Time Round, The Magpies Won EFL CupEnding Their 70-year Wait for Domestic Silverware, and Finished Fifth Premier LeagueThe Champions League Patch Featuring Rather Priminently In Monday’s Third Kit Launch Video.
More importantly, Ahead of Their Champions League Return, Eddie Howe – Backed by The Saudi PIF – Will Be determined to Bolster His Squad, So Could SOME SIGNINGS Be Imminent?
Newcastle Looking To Bolster Their Backline
If as has been reported reportedly reportedNewcastle United Are Close to Signing Burnley Goalkeeper James Trafford For £ 40m, Theeby Surely Set to Become The Magpies’ New Number One.
This is interesting, because it is pretty debatable IF Trafford Is A Clear Upgrade On Existing First-Choice Shot-Stopper Nick Popemore on that later.
Meantime, According to The Mirror, via football transverseNewcastle Are ‘Stepping Up Their Efforts’ to Sign Bayer Leverkusen Center-Back Edmond Tapsoba, Claiming That They Made a £ 50m Offer.
They add that tottenham are also ‘interested’ in the Burkina Faso International, While Die Werkself ‘Are You Willing To Negotiate A Sale’.
However, Having Already Wirtz, Jeremie Tah and Odilon Kossounou A combined £ 164m This Summer, Die Schwarzrot Accept to the Low-Ball Offer, So Could Hold Out TapSoba’s £ 81m Release Clause.
Nevertheless, Having Just Brought in Jarell Quansah From Liverpool For a Reported Fee Of £ 30m, Bayer May Be Preparing for Life After TapSoba, So Could Be On His Way To Tyneside?
Why Edmond Tasko Would Be A Better Signing Than James Trafford
Still Only 26 Years Old, Tappsoba Joined Bayer Leverkusen From Victory of Guimarães in 2020, Making 226 Appearances For The German Club to Date, Starting 28 of 34 Bundesliga Matches As Die Werkself Picked Up The MeisterSchale For The First Time Ever in 2023/24.
His Performances Have Earnt Rave Reviews, With Journalist António Mango Labelling Him A “Monster”, While Jacek Kulig of Football Talent Scout Asserted That He is “Solid As A Rock”.
So, Let’s Assess How He Compares Newcastle’s Current Center-backs.
Edmond Tasko vs. Newcastle Center-Backs 2024/25 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
Statistics (per 90) | Dough | Hell | Botman | Breath |
Appearances | 43 | 42 | 10 | 46 |
Minutes | 3,613 | 3,629 | 581 | 3,974 |
Pass Completion% | 87% | 83.7% | 89.4% | 88.4% |
Tackles | 1.4 | 1.2 | 2.7 | 1.1 |
Interceptions | 0.9 | 1.4 | 1.1 | 0.8 |
Clearances | 3.1 | 4.1 | 5.5 | 5.3 |
Blocked Shots | 0.6 | 0.8 | 0.9 | 0.7 |
Ball Recoveries | 4.5 | 4.2 | 3.1 | 2.8 |
Aerial Duel Sccess% | 61% | 44% | 61% | 66% |
Ground Duel Sccess% | 48% | 48% | 71% | 50% |
Touches | 80.7 | 72.4 | 68.5 | 65.5 |
As the Table Documents, TapSobo Compares to Newcastle’s Existing Center-Backs, Leading The Way to Get It Comes to Ball Recoveries and Touches per 90, While, Across The Board, He Was Only Londond Sven Botman On a per 9 basis.
This, Howver, Is Dutchman Played Fun 650 Minutes Across All Competitions Last Knee injuries, Underlining That-Back is Howe Will Be Looking To Be How Howe Left Center-Back.
Goalkeeper, on The Other Hand, Did Not Appear a Problem Position, So Let’s Compare The Two Ex-Burnley Goalkeepers, Pope and Trafford.
Nick Pope 2024/25 vs James Trafford 23/24 | ||
|---|---|---|
Statistics | Pope | Trafford |
Appearances | 28 | 28 |
GOALS CONCEDED | 35 | 62 |
Saves | 86 | 106 |
Save% | 71.7% | 65.7% |
Post-Shot XG – GOALS CONCEDED | +1.8 | -5.9 |
Stopped Crosses Of | 10.9% | 7.2% |
Pass Completion% | 73.5% | 65.5% |
As the Table Highlights, the PAIR’s Most Campaigns, Pope’s Numbers are even more impressive Than Those Those The Latter Was Playing a Hopeless Burnley Side, And has a Certainly Improved Following A Season Back In The EFL CHAMPIONSHIP.
Nevertheless, Trafford Does Not Appear to Be Coming In To Fill Need, Unlike Tapsoba.
Ben McAleer of the Guardian DESCRIPED THE DEFENDER AS CALM AND COMPOSED IN POSSSION, WHALE Dylan Buesnel of Total Football Analysis Agrees, Praising His Excellent Ball Retention and ‘Ability to Keep Pressure Pressure’, Adding That His ‘defensive Attributes Are Helping Him Shine’.
Meantime, Vishnu Anandraj of Breaking The Lines Labels Him A ‘Consistent Performer’, Athleticism and Composure ‘, All of the Suggests TapSoba Would Be A Transformative Signing For Newcastle And For The Same Traid’s Difficult to Traid.
