Newcastle United enjoyed a fine first transfer window under PIF as they completed a number of key deals throughout January.
Kieran Trippier, Matt Targett, Dan Burn, Chris Wood and Bruno Guimaraes all came through the door as the Magpies flexed their financial strength in the market.
Eddie Howe now has more options to work with in the coming months to help the club avoid relegation down to the Championship at the end of the season, but how quickly will he integrate them?
Imagine him & Shelvey
One January addition who needs to be immediately unleashed is central midfielder Guimaraes as he could form an exciting partnership with Jonjo Shelvey in the middle of the park.
The Brazilian midfielder, who has been compared to “Kevin de Bruyne” by Brazil manager Tite, averaged a fantastic SofaScore rating of 7.30 in Ligue 1 for Lyon this season. He made 3.6 tackles and interceptions along with 1.8 key passes per game for the French outfit, highlighting his ability to make a difference in both boxes.
Should Bruno start against Everton?
Yes
No
Shelvey, meanwhile, has scored two goals in 11 games for the Magpies in the Premier League this season, whilst making 0.8 key passes per game. This suggests that he has the quality to provide end product in the final third and Guimaraes’ progressive play should enhance the Englishman’s game, which is why they could make an exciting pairing.
Speaking to The Chronicle, Brazilian sports journalist Marcus Alves hailed the beast’s leadership skills, saying:
“He’s not the Roy Keane kind of leader – you probably won’t see him yelling at a team-mate, fighting the referee or something like that. But he is a positive leader, the kind of player who will not hide from the game and take responsibility to drive the dream forward.
“So, in that sense, yeah, you may see he’s a natural leader. He speaks very well and managed to learn French within just few months in Lyon, so it’s safe to say that communicating in English won’t be a problem, too.”
This suggests that he could be a key player for the club both in terms of his quality on the pitch and his ability to inspire and lead those around him. In difficult situations in matches, he could drag his teammates up and fight to get them out of trouble, which could be a major boost to a team fighting a relegation battle.
Therefore, Howe must unleash him from the start against Everton next week and place him alongside Shelvey in midfield.
AND in other news, Forget Ekitike: Howe dropped D-Day Newcastle clanger on “underrated” £50k-p/w flyer…