How Newcastle can sign a better midfielder than Palhinha and Hojbjerg

Newcastle United beat Valencia 2-1 to kick off the Matthias Jaissle era with a win – but the new manager will be keenly aware of the scale of the task in front of him after another summer of turbulence at St. James’ Park.

Later, the Magpies were defeated 3-1 by a disciplined Everton side at Murrayfield, with Newcastle looking very much like a side in search of their identity following Eddie Howe‘s decision to draw down the curtain on his brilliant five-term tenure at the club.

Jaissle employs high-intensity, high-octane tactics, the kind that supporters of ambitious outfits such as Newcastle like to see. Whether the German manages to inculcate his vision across the Magpies squad remains to be seen, with so many recent setbacks threatening their dream of returning to the Champions League and challenging for another major title.

Sandro Tonali and Bruno Guimaraes have been sold to divisional rivals in north London. Fine. But Newcastle need to react, lest they plumb new depths under PIF ownership and slide toward the Premier League’s dreaded dotted line.

How Newcastle react to Palhinha & Hojbjerg blows

Newcastle have been rejected by a number of top targets in midfield this summer. What now? The Tyneside club may have pulled off a few neat summer signings, but they are far from ready for a return to competitive action.

Sean Steur and Aladji Bamba have arrived from Ajax and Monaco respectively. Newcastle paid a combined fee of £58m for the up-and-coming pair. This is all well and good, promising stuff, but they are 18 and 20 years old, lacking the experience and confidence that comes over several seasons at the highest level.

To expect them to effectively replace Guimaraes and Tonali would indeed be a risky game, but PIF are aware of this as the window enters the final stretch. There have been any number of unsuccessful lunges toward different midfield targets, with the likes of Joao Palhinha and Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg recently turning down proposals.

Interest in Palhinha was never particularly advanced, but Marseille’s Hojbjerg has left technical director Ross Wilson hot under the collar after negotiations collapsed at the eleventh hour, supposedly over wage demands.

The former Tottenham and Southampton midfielder is an industrious and smart midfielder, happy to control traffic and close down charging opponents.

It’s another sting, but not the end of the world, should Newcastle manage to pivot and complete an exciting signing before the window slams shut.

Newcastle want to sign Premier League midfielder

In Bamba and Steur, Newcastle have two exciting midfielders who could develop into mainstays in Jaissle’s aggressive system. But they cannot be expected to uphold the standards set by Guimaraes and Tonali over the past few years.

According to the ever-reliable Craig Hope, Newcastle are showing interest in Brighton & Hove Albion midfielder Carlos Baleba. The Magpies correspondent was quick to state that their interest is not advanced, but that it is one to watch as the transfer window approaches the later stages.

Last season, Baleba, 21, fell from his blooming reputation as one of the Premier League’s most exciting young midfielders, seemingly rocked by a prospective transfer to Old Trafford that never reached the closing stage. He is still keen on signing for Manchester United, but that window has been narrowed, with United (and Newcastle) put off by his £75m-£80m valuation.

Hope believes the Seagulls could be tempted to lower their demands after Baleba’s disappointing season in the Premier League, but there’s no question that he’s demonstrated elite potential before, and a change of scenery could help revive him.

Journalist Eduardo Hagn has described him as a “monster” of a midfielder in the past, and it’s not hard to see where such praise stems from. Baleba is the complete midfielder, progressive and crisp on the ball while never shirking from his ball-winning role.

Baleba’s ability to defend resiliently in the middle of the park before collecting, turning, charging, with the intensity and power of a raging bull makes him a unique midfielder who could add quite the dimension at Newcastle. In this, he could eclipse the impact of veterans such as Hojbjerg and Palhinha, who might instil control and experience, but would simply be stop-gap options for an outfit in transition.

By contrast, Baleba has his whole career ahead of him. He has the aggressive and determined defensive ability to tick a much-needed box at the club, but he also brings a kind of springy energy to the fold, thereby filling a duty that might have been handed to Palhinha or Hojbjerg, but also having the potential to grow into the skin of someone such as Guimaraes.

Newcastle need to make another midfield signing before the end of the transfer window. The recent defeat against Everton showed that there is much work still to be done, and while the likes of Hojbjerg and Palhinha would lift the Magpies, their impact would be dwarfed by that of Baleba, back to his best.

Baleba has suffered an ankle ligament injury that will keep him out for the start of the campaign, but it is a minor setback. Given the potential over many years, Newcastle would be foolish not to push for a move if the Seagulls do indeed lower that costly transfer figure.