Newcastle United have got better and better since Eddie Howe’s appointment three-and-a-half years ago, and though last season bred trophy-winning success and paved the way back into the Champions League, the best may still be to come.
Carefully, assiduously, Newcastle have developed a project which has been rooted firmly into the soil of top-level football, now sure to be regular contenders for a seat at Europe’s elite table; now regarded as a huge threat to the Premier League’s so-called ‘big six’.
Despite finishing the 2024 summer transfer window with harboured frustrations over targets not landed, Howe led his squad to glory.
Suitors are inevitably swarming for St. James’ Park’s superstars, but, in the case of Alexander Isak, it would take an offer in the ballpark of £200m to convince PIF to sell.
Even so, the world-class striker needs a foil, and Brighton & Hove Albion’s Joao Pedro has been identified as the man for the job.
Newcastle advancing on Joao Pedro deal
Newcastle have had Pedro on their radar for a while, and after missing out on Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo (it seems), the Brighton star has been identified as the perfect addition for Howe’s cause.
Chelsea, typically, also want the Brazil forward.
Pedro is versatile and dynamic, but also a blooming goalscorer, someone who provides output to a pleasing degree: across 70 matches for the Seagulls, he has scored 30 goals and has laid on ten assists.
However, JP has converted 16 penalties for his current club, which means he has only scored 14 times from open play across 70 outings. This in itself isn’t a negative – a penalty counts just the same, after all – but Isak isn’t likely to forgo his duties from the spot.
Newcastle would get stronger with Pedro in their squad, but they may be more powerful still by bringing over one of the Premier League’s deadliest strikers instead.
Newcastle make contact for Premier League forward
According to Liverpool reporter Matt Thielen, Newcastle are among a host of Premier League clubs to have approached Liverpool for Diogo Jota.
Tottenham Hotspur and Jota’s former club Wolverhampton Wanderers are also in the frame, as well as further outfits overseas, but Newcastle’s interest dates back to the spring, when they were informed it would take around £43m to convince the Reds to part with their veteran.
It doesn’t seem likely that United would add both Pedro and Jota to their ranks, but if the bid for the former falls through, the Portugal international represents the perfect alternative.
Why Newcastle should sign Diogo Jota
Jota might not have the cleanest fitness record of all time, but there’s no denying he’s an incredibly cool and composed finisher, having posted 65 goals and 26 assists across 185 matches for Liverpool.
Last season, despite winning the Premier League, the Iberian marksman didn’t enjoy his finest season, only scoring six times and providing four in the league (albeit across only 14 starts) as he battled through injury and then struggled to find his usual sharpness.
However, at 28 years old, Jota has more in the tank and would arrive on Tyneside without the expectation of being number one at number nine, instead applying friendly pressure on Isak and perhaps filling in on the flanks too.
Pedro, 23, is five years his junior and would be a longer-term investment, but Newcastle need instant results next year to ensure they retain their position among Europe’s heavyweights.
And such results Jota would bring – and that’s without the usage of the penalty spot. Also, as per FBref, the Anfield star ranked among the top 15% of forwards across Europe’s top five leagues last season for progressive passes, the top 11% for progressive carries, the top 8% for ball recoveries and the top 8% for tackles + interceptions per 90.
A ball recovery is defined by the number of loose balls recovered by a player.
What does that tell us? Well, by examining his rate of recovery and by aggregating such data to form a clear picture of his work rate, we can see that the Portuguese ace is switched on and dialed in to help his team toward victory.
Energy and spirit are staples of Pedro’s faculties, to be sure, but in Jota, Newcastle would bag themselves a similarly industrious forward with a sharper sense in the final third.
It helps that he has a pedigree in the Champions League. Not one to be swallowed by a big occasion, Jota would prove a cool head in the final third under those glaring European lights to ease the burden on Isak’s shoulders and increase Newcastle’s overall fluency.
Of course, we would be remiss to turn a blind eye to the Liverpool forward’s shoddy injury record, but from purely a technical standpoint, he is one of the best in the business, with Sky Sports’ Jamie Carragher even going as far as to say that he’s “the best finisher” Liverpool have had in the Premier League.
Pedro might have a “magical” style when on the ball, as has been noted by Bundesliga commentator Kevin Hatchard, but Jota’s prowess is built on his mechanical skill set, efficient and almost economical in the way he approaches the game.
Newcastle have a range of attacking options but certainly not an overload, and an experienced and trophy-proven option in Jota might just prove to be the difference-maker Howe needs as he leads his team back into the Champions League.
Clinical and intelligent, Jota’s movements and underrated link-up play are elements that Newcastle need. Furthermore, he’s a wide-ranging forward, proven across each prong of the offensive fork, bringing goals and assists from each position.
Centre-forward
91
29
15
Left winger
61
24
8
Right winger
22
9
2
Attacking midfield
3
3
1
This is a move Newcastle need to make this summer, adding depth and dynamism to a fluid outfit which has now established its title-winning credentials and just needs a touch more experience to reach the next level under Howe’s wing.
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