This £26 million “monster” could be a better option for Newcastle than Dragusin.
Newcastle United have been in poor form since the beginning of December. That 1-0 win over Manchester United on the 2nd of the month now feels like a distant memory, with the Magpies suffering seven defeats in eight games since.
Eddie Howe will be more concerned with his team’s defensive record. Newcastle have now conceded four less goals in 2023/24 than they did last season.
With the January transfer market now open, the Geordie team may require some defensive reinforcements to stop the rot, and Howe has already begun creating his list of possibilities.
Newcastle United signing Jonathan Tah
Newcastle United are interested in signing Bayer Leverkusen star defender Jonathan Tah this month, according to a report from Football Transfers at the end of last month. While the Magpies may be under Financial Fair Play limits this winter, the club sees Tah as a cheap alternative, according to the outlet.
According to reports, the Germany international’s contract has a £15.5 million release clause, which expired in July. Nonetheless, according to the CIES Football Observatory, Tah’s market value is only £26 million, so he might still be within Newcastle’s price range.
There has been speculation that the English club is also interested in Genoa’s Radu Dragusin, with the Italian club demanding £26 million, yet it is expected that Spurs would win the race for the Romanian central defender. Tah may prove to be a better option.
Jonathan Tah’s season stats
Radu Drăgușin vs. Inter:
-1 goal
-7 clearances
-1 tackle
-40/42 passes completed
-2/3 long balls completed
-2/4 ground duels won
-4/6 aerial duels won
-1 shot on target
-1 shot off target
-1 shot blocked@Ben_Mattinson_ analyzes the Genoa defender: https://t.co/dlCP2hMzSL pic.twitter.com/40BH8yatax— Breaking The Lines (@BTLvid) December 29, 2023
Leverkusen is mounting an unusual bid for the Bundesliga crown, having never won the competition before. Die Werkself lead the league by four points thanks to the direction of Spanish star Xabi Alonso. Tah has been an important part of Leverkusen’s success thus far, appearing in 23 games across all competitions and starting 15 of the team’s 16 league games.
The German’s talent has been obvious for some time. Five years ago, football agent Craig Honeyman characterized Tah as “an absolute monster” and stated that the central defender would fit in with any Premier League squad. Tah, who has spent the last decade in the Bundesliga, may finally be ready to make the move to England’s top division.
Tah appears to be a good match for Newcastle. Both club captain Jamaal Lascelles and Fabian Schar are approaching the end of their careers and will need to be replaced soon, leaving a gap in the backline next to £35 million signing Sven Botman that may need to be addressed. Dragusin might be a good option for Howe’s side, but Tah has outperformed him, Lascelles, and Schar statistically this season and could easily be Newcastle’s best right-sided centre-half.
🎶 Everybody was kung-fu fighting… those kicks were fast as lightning🎶
Jonathan Tah has now scored 3 of his 4 career Bundesliga goals in 2018/19!
🔜 #B04SGE pic.twitter.com/zRaL6OILAA
— Bayer 04 Leverkusen (@bayer04_en) May 3, 2019
In possession, transfer target Dragusin and Newcastle duo Lascelles and Schar are no match for Tah. In terms of possession, the trio is equivalent to Leverkusen’s star defense, but this might be attributed to Alonso’s team averaging 60.7% of the ball per game.
Given that Tah is worth the same as Genoa’s asking price for Dragusin and is statistically a better player than Lascelles and Schar, Newcastle United must do all in their power to encourage the German to join them before the winter deadline.
