An update has emerged on Newcastle United and their pursuit of RC Lens gem Seko Fofana…
What’s the talk?
According to French outlet Le10Sport, the Magpies are set to battle it out with Ligue 1 giants PSG to land the Ivorian in the summer.
The report claims that PIF are prepared to make a move for the midfielder and will not ‘hesitate’ to open their chequebook to secure his services, although it remains to be seen how much money the French side want for their star man.
Should Newcastle sign Fofana?
Yes
No
Imagine him & Bruno
Dan Ashworth is reportedly set to become Newcastle’s director of football in the summer and the signing of Fofana could be an incredible first piece of business for the former Brighton man.
He must ensure that he can get a deal over the line for the powerful midfielder as he would be a sensational signing for the club and potentially be an exciting partner for Bruno Guimaraes in the middle of the park next season.
In Ligue 1 this season, Fofana has scored seven goals and averaged 1.2 key passes per game whilst averaging a WhoScored rating of 6.93. He has also completed two dribbles per game and this shows that he is a progressive player who likes to drive at the opposition to make things happen, with his goal tally showing that he has the end product to match the build-up.
Author Tom Scholes once dubbed the £14m-rated player as “unbelievable” and French journalist Tanguy Le Seviller described him as a “monster” earlier this year. These comments and his impressive statistics for Lens highlight why Ashworth needs to bring him in as he would be a big asset for Eddie Howe to call upon with his ability to make things happen from midfield.
He could form a strong partnership with Guimaraes in midfield, with the Brazilian having also caught the eye in Ligue 1. In the first half of the season for Lyon, the 24-year-old averaged a WhoScored rating of 7.21 as he made an outstanding 3.6 tackles and interceptions per game.
This suggests that he will be able to provide the defensive anchor to allow Fofana to express himself going forward for Newcastle. Guimaraes would be the sturdy, reliable, operator to win possession back and then the Ivorian would be able to break and attempt to score and create goals in the final third knowing that he has the Brazilian machine behind him.
AND in other news, Howe can find his own Ake for NUFC in “special” £80k-p/w tank who’s “very underrated”…