Newcastle United are in the midst of a crisis right now with 13 first-team players currently sidelined through injury and suspension which is certainly a worry for head coach Eddie Howe.
The Magpies’ form has dipped too, with the team dropping to eighth in the Premier League table, below Manchester United, while Howe’s men are also on the cusp of exiting the Champions League and a massive game away at Paris Saint-Germain next week could be the final nail in the coffin.
Newcastle’s attacking department is down to the bare bones, with winger Anthony Gordon being tasked with leading the line during the team’s recent 2-0 defeat to Bournemouth.
The club have started working on plans to improve depth in the forward positions and have identified one star who could change the team’s fortunes.
Newcastle transfer news – Jota
According to 90min, Newcastle United are looking to make a move for the former Celtic attacker Jota, who is currently plying his trade in Saudi Arabia with league champions Al-Ittihad, having moved to the Middle East for £25m during the summer as a two-time Scottish Premiership winner.
The Portuguese winger has had limited game-time at Al-Ittihad as he wasn’t registered in the first-team squad past the transfer window since clubs in the Saudi Pro League can only have eight foreign players at one point. There were rumours that the 24-year-old would be freed from his contract by the Saudi side but min have revealed that this now seems unlikely.
Furthermore, Newcastle would be forced to acquire Jota permanently from Al-Ittihad as Premier League teams are set to vote to prohibit any clubs from signing players on loan from affiliated sides. The Mags would fall under this category as a result of being bought by the PIF back in 2021.
How Jota compares with Anthony Gordon
Jota has struggled for minutes since moving to Saudi Arabia as a result of being unregistered. Overall, the Portugal international has featured just seven times for Al-Ittihad but only two of those games have come since September 1 in the AFC Champions League.
However, the winger had an exceptional season at Celtic under Ange Postecoglou last term. In 43 appearances for the Glasgow giants, Jota bagged 27 goal contributions in all competitions, including 15 goals and 12 assists, leading Postecoglou to call him “unbelievable”. League top scorer Kyogo Furuhashi was the only player to contribute to more goals at Celtic last season.
Statistically, Jota had a far better season in the previous campaign than Gordon has had this term and has proven himself to be a greater threat in and around the penalty area than the Magpies’ £45m winter signing.
|
Per 90 Metrics |
Jota – 2022/23 |
Anthony Gordon – 2023/24 |
|---|---|---|
|
Goals |
0.47 |
0.28 |
|
Expected Goals |
0.29 |
0.3 |
|
Assists |
0.4 |
0.14 |
|
Expected Assists |
0.25 |
0.12 |
|
Key Passes |
2.81 |
0.92 |
|
Progressive Carries |
5 |
3.46 |
|
Successful Take-Ons % |
55% |
41.2% |
|
Stats via FBref |
||
Gordon has scored four goals in 17 appearances this term and has come into his own a little in the current campaign. However, Jota has proven himself adept at playing anywhere along the front three during his playing career and can create chances but also finish them off, boasting an impressive take-on success, as well as a higher degree of key passes.
Howe could massively upgrade his forward line with the arrival of Jota this winter, especially since the Portuguese livewire would link up extremely well with Callum Wilson and Alexander Isak, just like he did with 34-goal Kyogo last term.
