The £12.5m bargain Newcastle United signing that could help transform the club into a European force
Newcastle could look to take advantage of Aston Villa’s PSR situation to beat their European rivals to a top calibre target
Newcastle United are preparing to dine out at Europe’s elite table once again next season after a stellar 2024/25 campaign which saw the club win its first piece of domestic silverware in 70 years while also edging out Aston Villa to an all-important top five position by the finest of margins.
It means for just the third time this century, and only for the second time under Eddie Howe that Newcastle will compete in the Champions League where they face the prospect of going toe-to-toe with many of Europe’s best sides including Barcelona, Real Madrid, Inter Milan and reigning champions Paris Saint-Germain.
Newcastle’s last taste of Champions League saw them get placed in a ‘Group of Death’ containing the likes of PSG, AC Milan and that year’s finalists Borussia Dortmund.
They were perhaps unfortunate to finish bottom of the group after earning a commendable 0-0 draw at the San Siro, a memorable 4-1 victory over PSG and a defiant 1-1 draw in the reverse fixture at the Parc des Princes where a controversial 98th minute penalty decision denied them all three points. In the end, squad depth was the main issue that particular team faced after back to back defeats to Borussia Dortmund and a 2-1 loss to AC Milan at home.
This time around the format change means Newcastle won’t find themselves in a group of death, with a much wider range of opponents being in the pipeline in this instance. But it does mean, perhaps even more so than last time, that squad depth will be paramount with a minimum of eight fixtures in the league phase, and potentially 10 before the round-of-16 if the Magpies finish between ninth and 24th.
Where Newcastle United need to strengthen this summer
The obvious areas to strengthen for Newcastle are the right-wing position, where players like Anthony Elanga and Joao Pedro are reportedly being coveted - and the goalkeeping department with Burnley’s James Trafford being touted as a potential long-term successor to Nick Pope. Other areas, such as centre-back after a failed pursuit of Marc Guehi could be considered, but arguably one of the biggest areas where Newcastle may need to strengthen is their depth in midfield.
Now it’s worth pointing out that at the moment, Newcastle have quite possibly one of the best midfield trios in the league. Club captain Bruno Guimaraes statistically runs more than any player, can play in both a deep and offensive midfield role, presses incredibly well and is excellent in possession.
Joelinton is a midfield enforcer with excellent stamina, terrific strength and the aggression to win duels all over the pitch. Meanwhile, Sandro Tonali emerged as one of the real standout performers in the deep-lying midfield role due to his excellent positional awareness, composure in possession and his understanding to orchestrate the game.
However, the gulf between Newcastle’s current midfield three and their back-up trio of Sean Longstaff (in the final year of his contract), Lewis Miley (still only 19) and Joe Willock, who has struggled with injuries, is too big to cope with the demands of a successful European and domestic campaign.
Arguably, Newcastle need another player in this position. One which is affordable, offers something different and ideally already has experience in competing in the Champions League. This is where Newcastle could benefit from a player of the calibre of Marco Asensio, who although not directly linked with the St James’ Park club at this stage, could be the ideal signing based on his strong loan spell at Aston Villa towards the end of last season.
Could Newcastle beat Aston Villa to the signing of Marco Asensio?
38-time Spanish international Marco Asensio registered an impressive eight goals and one assist in 21 appearances after joining Aston Villa on loan in January. He helped transform Villa from a team that looked destined to finish mid-table into one that finished the season in fine fashion - reaching the semi-final of the FA Cup, the quarter-final of the Champions league - and only missing out on qualification to Europe’s elite competition on goal difference.
Asensio brought a sense of European pedigree that had been missing at Villa Park before his arrival and he showcased his importance with a brace against Chelsea in a 2-1 win and key strikes against Club Brugge in both legs of the Champions League round-of-16. It’s hardly surprising given the fact that he’s a three time La Liga champion and a three-time Champions League winner with experience at both Real Madrid and PSG while playing with some of the best stars in world football.
He's believed to be surplus to requirements at the Parc des Princes, leading to reports that he could return to Villa on a permanent basis for just £12.5m with Unai Emery interested. However, it’s fair from a straight forward deal for Villa to compete, as they, like Newcastle a year earlier, find themselves scrambling to sell players to comply with the league’s profit and sustainability rules (PSR).
This could hand Newcastle a golden opportunity to sign Asensio for a cut price fee. In doing so, it would give the club a different profile of player with Asensio specialising as a No.10 as opposed to a box-to-box midfielder. Similarly, it could make Newcastle more effective when playing against teams with a low block and could give the Magpies a different option from the bench in certain games.