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Whilst Newcastle United continue to perform domestically – an impressive 1-0 over Arsenal last time out in league action sticking out, alongside a 3-0 demolition of Manchester United in the Carabao Cup – the Magpies have let the big occasions of the Champions League get the better of them in recent weeks.
Losing back-to-back games to Borussia Dortmund, the away fixture at Signal Iduna Park seeing the German hosts stride home to a convincing 2-0 win, Howe’s men find themselves bottom of Group F with a trip to the Parc De Princes up next to face off against the might of Paris St-Germain to hopefully reestablish their authority in the competition.
A number of Howe’s trusted first-teamers underwhelmed versus their Bundesliga opponents this Tuesday night, including former Everton man Anthony Gordon who never really got out of first gear on the night – substituted off at the half-time interval for Callum Wilson, Gordon lost possession seven times to the detriment of his team, as per Sofascore.
It could lead to Newcastle breaking the bank in January for more reinforcements to improve the Magpies’ chances of coming away from big nights like in Dortmund with something to show for their efforts, with former target Federico Chiesa back on the agenda as a possible Gordon upgrade.
Newcastle transfer news – Federico Chiesa
Reported by Tutto Juve, Newcastle could well reignite their interest in the Italy international in the upcoming transfer window with the 26-year-old having his minutes cut significantly for Juventus recently.
The former Fiorentina man hasn’t scored for the Old Lady since the middle of September, but Howe could still swoop for the 5 foot 9 winger amidst rumoured interest from fellow Premier League clubs in Arsenal and Chelsea, according to TEAMTalk.
Gordon could well begin to worry that his starting spot on Tyneside could be under threat as a result of this latest transfer development, the Magpies prepared to spend in the region of £52m to land the Juve man.
How Chiesa compares to Anthony Gordon
Despite not performing to the peak of his previous powers for Juventus this season, the former Fiorentina is certainly still an “amazing” talent worth pursuing from a Newcastle perspective, as hailed by pundit Paul Robinson.
Formerly winning a place in the Euro 2020 Team of the Tournament when his nation Italy were crowned champions – Chiesa scoring twice in the knockout rounds as a pivotal component of the team – he has shown glimpses of his brilliance with the Italian titans this campaign with four goals from his first five starts in Serie A.
Level with Gordon’s goal record for Howe’s outfit, from four fewer games, Chiesa’s skill set as a dynamic and unpredictable prospect for defenders to contain could see him usurp the Englishman in the starting lineup as St James’ Park if a move is made.
The Italian attacker’s most effective display of the season to date came in an away defeat to Sassuolo, Massimo Allegri’s outfit losing 4-2 on the day. Still, Chiesa shone as a bright spark for Juventus even in spite of the eventual loss – hitting a shot first-time into the back of the net to level the scores at 2-2, before his side collapsed.
Moreover, Chiesa could move into a second striker role if called upon to do so for Howe’s side – adding some much-needed squad depth to his potential new employers in the process.
Even when Juventus’ “wizard” – as described by writer Roger Bennett – has underperformed this campaign, he’s still offering more for Allegri’s side than Gordon does when he misfires under Howe, notably averaging one key pass per game in Serie A, in contrast to just 0.9 for his Magpies counterpart, a fine mark of his immense creativity from the flanks.
The latter man was largely anonymous up against the Black and Yellows in Champions League action. The ex Toffees winger attempted zero shots on the night, whilst also only winning one ground duel.
Newcastle could well see Chiesa as a signing that significantly improves their squad therefore, with the Italian attacker also keen for a move away from Turin.
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