Newcastle United’s interest in Kalvin Phillips has been no secret but now Eddie Howe’s side may have to turn their attentions to Italy if the England international signs for West Ham on loan.
Phillips to West Ham looks to be a fast-moving deal in the January transfer window, with Newcastle having been put off by Manchester City’s loan demands for the midfielder.
As a result, the resolve of Atalanta could be tested, with the side currently in a mighty battle for fourth in Serie A in what has become a seven-team scramble for one position.
Just six points separate fourth from 10th, and with Atalanta fifth and just a point below Fiorentina, it is unlikely they will entertain offers for key players in this January transfer window.
Nevertheless, two of their midfielders are attracting interest, with Premier League clubs monitoring Teun Koopmeiners and Ederson, who along with Marten de Roon are the beating heart of Gian Piero Gasperini’s ever-impressive side.
And while Koopmeiners to Liverpool is gathering pace – the 25-year-old attacking midfielder would reportedly cost €45m (£38.5m) – Newcastle have already scouted Ederson, a player also linked with Manchester United.
Earlier this month, Newcastle’s head of recruitment Steve Nickson went to Italy and watched Ederson in Atalanta’s 5-0 victory over Frosinone.
Ederson, 24, got on the scoresheet, scoring their second of five goals in the 13th minute, and that was the Brazilian’s sixth goal in all competitions this season.
These contributions have added another feather to his bow, with Ederson already doubling his career tally of goals, a remarkable feat given his primary task is to shield the defence in a double pivot with De Roon.
As such, Ederson is joint-fifth for tackles per game in Serie A (2.5), and joint-12th for interceptions (1.4), making him a near box-to-box midfielder rated among the top 20 players in the league – WhoScored.com’s rating of 7.1 has him 19th overall, the joint-highest for an Atalanta player with Koopmeiners.
Ederson has a similar profile to Joelinton, hence the scouting mission, given the Newcastle midfielder could miss the rest of the season through injury.
The pair rank closely in some areas – interceptions and assists – while it is evident Joelinton is more of a ball carrier and Ederson his side’s top tackling midfielder (Bruno Guimaraes tops that statistic for Newcastle over Joelinton).
Who else could Newcastle sign?
i’s Mark Douglas spoke to Alex Stewart from Analytics FC, a data firm used by top Premier League and Serie A clubs, and he claimed Ederson is “an excellent data match for Joelinton”.
Stewart also identified alternatives to Ederson who compare closely to Joelinton.
Yacine Adli – Milan
Could Newcastle really go back to Milan after Sandro Tonali?
The former France Under-20 international is an interesting pick.
He has not featured regularly in Serie A but Stewart says he is a “strong defensive midfield prospect” who profiles similarly to Phillips.
Youssouf Fofana – Monaco
If Newcastle really wanted to fast-track a big deal, this might be one.
“He is another dynamic, all-round midfielder with strong defensive attributes, superb athleticism, and strong carrying and press resistance,” says Stewart.
“He played 3000 minutes last season and has started 16 games for Monaco this season, the second most of any player there. Our system shows him as a top match for Joelinton of players in Europe’s top five leagues.”
Unsurprisingly, Newcastle appear to have competition for Ederson. Goal wrote of Manchester United’s interest at the start of January, while Italian transfer guru Gianluca Di Marzio said Juventus were also monitoring the midfielder.
Di Marzio said Atalanta will look to resist any offers in January, likewise with Koopmeiners, adding that Juventus will look to address this position in the summer if not now.
And Ederson himself addressed the rumours, reportedly telling reporters in Italy: “This is normal when the transfer market opens, for some situations to come up. It happened in Brazil, it happened when I was at Salernitana.
“For me it's better this way, it means that I'm doing well and that there are many people watching me. It always happens with the market, but the most important thing is to do well at Atalanta and I'm doing very well here.”
The chances of prising Ederson away from Atalanta therefore appear slim for Newcastle this transfer window, although if a star player is sold in a fascinating week where Callum Wilson, Kieran Trippier and Miguel Almiron have been linked with moves away from St James’ Park, there could be some money to spend.
However, with the Premier League’s profit and sustainability rules a concern, it may not be feasible before the window closes on 1 February.
Ederson is contracted at Atalanta until the summer of 2026, and while Transfermarkt values the player at €27m (£23.1m), realistically it could require closer to double that to sway the Italian side.
Reports suggest between £30m and £40m could tempt Atalanta into negotiations, and right now, without selling, that is money Newcastle cannot spend despite their vast wealth.
from Football - inews.co.uk https://ift.tt/R9VMZYd
Post a Comment