Hello everyone, I am the one who still claims to be one of the biggest Newcastle United fans in Indonesia (a country in South East Asia, FYI).
This is my sixth article on The Mag, if I am not mistaken.
My last article was published several matches before the end of season 2024/2025, where I suggested several right wingers Newcastle United should consider recruiting for season 2025/2026 (Rayan Cherki?).
Then, out of nowhere, we got Anthony Elanga.
A winger who in my personal opinion was recruited; other than for his statistics when he played for Nottingham Forest, it was the management’s strategy to calm down and delay his compatriot’s desire to switch clubs. As we all know, the result of the Elanga transfer was a total failure. His fellow countryman still went to Liverpool and his own performances last season were not on par with the money we spent on acquiring him.
In that article I also mentioned the need for a central defender (then came Malick Thiaw and I still have a lingering hope that Fikayo Tomori will also come this transfer window) and a goalkeeper (fingers crossed we will get to the promised land by the name of James Trafford finally).
In this article, I will particularly highlight the Defensive Midfielder (DM) we need to recruit this season. Why?
First, because the Italian has moved on and our beloved captain, like it or not, will soon follow. Contrary to most voices, I was quite happy when Spurs came with that money for Tonali. He was not a DM in AC Milan or Italy, and he had never played in that position before, and since his Brescia time, he has been deployed mostly as a box-to-box Central Midfielder (CM). As I saw most of the time in our matches last season, he seemed to be more hungry to be in places more advanced than his position actually allowed, which made the team unbalanced and more vulnerable when counterattacked.
Second, because I still believe we play at our best when we use the 4-3-3 formation (1 DM and 2 CMs) rather than the 4-2-3-1 (2 CMs), which, in my very honest opinion, was used only to allocate BNW more playing time in the second half of last season (as #10 or Second Striker or whatever they named his position) so he could still be called by Julian Nagelsmann for this year’s World Cup.
Third, no one in our soon-to-be-only-remaining five midfielders (Jacob Ramsey, Joelinton, Joe Willock, Lewis Miley or even Sean Steur) has the trait of a DM. I believe Lewis Miley is playing his best performances when positioned as CM and when I saw the highlights of Sean Steur, he also played as CM for Ajax Amsterdam (Jorthy Mokio is the DM in Ajax’s 4-3-3 formation).
Therefore, I try to provide information about a number of DMs who are still of productive age and have a claimed market value that is below the revenue we got from the sale of last year’s owner of the jersey number 8 but have enough experience and have the quality to possibly strengthen Newcastle’s squad next season.
Achievable Transfers
1. Archie Gray
Age : 20 Years Old
Height : 1.87 m
Nationality : England
Club : Tottenham Hotspur
Contract Expiration : Jun 30, 2030
Transfermarkt Valuation : €35.00m (These Transfermarkt guesstimates on player valuations should only be taken as a very rough gudie)
I really hoped that when we concluded the deal with Spurs, rather than receiving in full cash, we had included this fellow in the deal. What a trio of 20-year-old signings (Ewen Jaouen, Bazoumana Touré, and him) that would give, but I believe there is still time. Brighton finally got Luka Vušković after they sold Jan Paul van Hecke to Spurs, didn’t they?
2. Lamine Camara (Pictured at the very top of this article)
Age : 22 Years Old
Height : 1.74 m
Nationality : Senegal
Club : AS Monaco
Contract Expiration : Jun 30, 2029
Transfermarkt Valuation : €40.00m
At 22, he represents the future. He has already gained valuable experience in Ligue 1 and the UEFA Champions League, making him a proven talent who will only get better. By handling more of the dirty work and ball-winning, he can free up the CM to focus on attacking the final third. And I believe he surely can be our next Cheick Tiote.
3. Angelo Stiller
Age : 25 Years Old
Height : 1.83 m
Nationality : Germany
Club : VfB Stuttgart
Contract Expiration : Jun 30, 2028
Transfermarkt Valuation : €45.00m
It is circulated that Stiller has a €36.5 million release clause. Whether it is true or not is still debatable. But he will be an absolute steal for even €45.00m. Stiller is a deep-lying playmaker. He recycles possession smoothly and starts attacks from deep. Surely he will complement the team since our midfielders’ type is mostly box-to-box.
4. Leon Avdullahu
Age : 22 Years Old
Height : 1.85 m
Nationality : Kosovo
Club : TSG 1899 Hoffenheim
Contract Expiration : Jun 30, 2031
Transfermarkt Valuation : €30.00m
For three reasons I put him here. First is to help Bazoumana Toure settle, since both of them played together last season. Second, we have good rapport with the club (Big Joe and Toure) so it should be easier to negotiate with the club. And last but not least, it is for his style of play. He is so like Sandro Tonali, even though he is more disciplined in his position and has a wider range of passing, albeit in a league with a more open and less structured style compared to the Premier League.
5. Chema Andrés
Age : 21 Years Old
Height : 1.90 m
Nationality : Spain
Club : VfB Stuttgart
Contract Expiration : Jun 30, 2030
Transfermarkt Valuation : €20.00m
He is Stiller’s partner in crime in Stuttgart’s midfield, albeit more defensive than his partner. He is obviously still quite raw, but considering his age and his standing, which is quite towering at 1.90 m, he provides a defensive shield that Newcastle currently lacks. He is technically gifted and has exceptional ball control, and the media have already dubbed him the next Rodri for their similarity in physical condition and style of play.
Honorable Mention
1. James Garner
Age : 25 Years Old
Height : 1.82 m
Nationality : England
Club : Everton
Contract Expiration : Jun 30, 2030
Transfermarkt Valuation : €45.00m
2. Tyler Morton
Age : 23 Years Old
Height : 1.85 m
Nationality : England
Club : Olympique Lyon
Contract Expiration : Jun 30, 2030
Transfermarkt Valuation : €30.00m
3. Máximo Perrone
Age : 23 Years Old
Height : 1.77 m
Nationality : Argentina
Club : Como
Contract Expiration : Jun 30, 2029
Transfermarkt Valuation : €35.00m
4. Alan Varela
Age : 25 Years Old
Height : 1.77 m
Nationality : Argentina
Club : FC Porto
Contract Expiration : Jun 30, 2030
Transfermarkt Valuation : €32.00m
5. Raphael Onyedika
Age : 25 Years Old
Height : 1.84 m
Nationality : Nigeria
Club : Club Brugge
Contract Expiration : Jun 30, 2027
Transfermarkt Valuation : €23.00m
Actually, there are some other names that I considered that must be included in the list, but sadly they are already changing clubs, which is not surprising, since we seem to have a tendency to move slower in acquiring players in the last few seasons. Morten Hjulmand is already Atletico Madrid’s player, Inter already activated their buy-back clause for Aleksandar Stanković and Everton moved quickly to snap up Hayden Hackney from Middlesbrough.
I am very sorry for my terrible English and choices of words. I really hope that what I want to share is able to be understood. Please remember, I am not a native and come from a country far, far away, but I always support Newcastle United, whether they win or lose.
Last one. A very humble opinion coming from a fan from a place so far away. I believe this season surely will not be as bad as 2008/2009 or 2015/2016, will it? So, no need to be so pessimistic. Players come and go, but Newcastle United will always stand tall if we are united to support them through thick and thin. We are not Manchester City’s Plastic Fans. We already passed Mike Ashley’s test. What can be lower than that?
Howay The Lads.