How Newcastle could sign their new Ben Arfa

For Newcastle United, the summer transfer window is once again proving a frustrating battleground, with Eddie Howe‘s side under the cosh and indeed powerless to prevent the vultures from picking at their star players.

The £69m sale of Anthony Gordon to Barcelona? Acceptable. Sandro Tonali’s £100m move to Tottenham Hotspur? Painful, but anticipated.

However, Bruno Guimaraes‘ plea to the board to let him complete a move to Premier League champions Arsenal stings some. This is the captain, the linchpin at the heart of the project. His blood bleeds black and white.

But Guimaraes’ desire to move on speaks of far deeper problems at St. James’ Park. The toughest part is that you understand why the 28-year-old Brazilian wants to leave.

How Newcastle are combating the summer exodus

Let’s face it: it’s not outside the realm of possibility that Guimaraes might be sold this summer. And if that happens, the task at hand for Howe and technical director Ross Wilson will become immeasurably tougher.

Newcastle have not been without their little victories this summer, though. Sean Steur has been signed from Ajax in a deal rising to £23m, while young Belgian goalkeeper Ewan Jaoeun is a star for the future.

However, most exciting is the in-the-works deal to sign Johan Manzambi from Freiburg. The Swiss World Cup star has been right at the top of the Toon’s shortlist for a while, and new reports on Friday confirm that a £51m agreement is in place.

That’s a game-changing signing, especially when considering the connection he could forge with Bazoumana Toure, who has already completed a £43m move to St. James’ Park this summer, ostensibly as Gordon’s direct replacement out on the left wing.

Toure is only 20 years old, and he can play into the resurgence next season, but probably not propel it as the talismanic force that Howe has lost.

Quietly, the Magpies are combating this concerning exodus, but they need more. Much more, with a maverick of the mould of one Hatem Ben Afra sure to go down a treat.

Why Newcastle need to sign their new Ben Afra

Toure is an exciting winger, direct and dangerous, but he’s still so young, and Newcastle may want to keep their options open as they explore ways to bring Howe’s frontline back up to speed.

Perhaps targeting a World Cup star such as Antonio Nusa could be the track to go down. After all, the Norwegian winger has been hailed as an “incredibly talented” prospect by countryman Erling Haaland.

And according to TEAMtalk, RB Leipzig are expecting a formal approach from Newcastle this summer, with the £51m-rated winger also the subject of interest from Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur.

Nusa is a thrilling prospect, but he is only 21 years old, with plenty of gears still to go through. In the Bundesliga last season, he only scored four goals and supplied three assists, albeit showing his potential, and then some, at the World Cup.

Leipzig might be seeking £51m, but writer and analyst Harvey Diamonds has suggested he has “the potential to become a £100m+ winger.”

Consistency was Ben Afra’s kryptonite, but no one could say that the 15-cap France international was not capable of the spectacular.

The attacking maestro scored 14 goals and supplied 16 assists across 86 outings for Newcastle, with his balletic, powerful stride up the channels cementing cult status in the Premier League, with many considering him among the most talented dribblers to grace the English game.

In that, Nusa could echo the retired winger, also bearing the frustrating similarity of failing to produce top performances with regularity for Leipzig in Germany.

However, he has certainly shown that he can fashion show-stopping moments, as evidenced by his curling finish for Norway against Ivory Coast at the World Cup.

Nusa completed 2.2 dribbles and won 5.3 duels on average each game last season, and could be an invaluable asset – especially if he finds form in front of goal.

Ben Afra was a unique attacker for Newcastle, but in Nusa, Howe could restore to his frontline a maverick – someone with the ability to raise fans off their seats and make a difference for a side who have left a lot to be desired in attack over the past season.