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13/1/2023 | 08:45am
Newcastle United stay curious about a deal to convey Goncalo Inacio to the Premier League in the summertime switch window.
What’s the discuss?
That’s in keeping with a report by Portuguese publication O Jogo (through Sport Witness), who declare that, after reportedly seeing a €33m (£29.5m) supply turned down by Sporting Lisbon in the summertime switch window, Eddie Howe has retained his curiosity within the 21-year-old centre-back – and will launch a contemporary transfer for the Portugal U21 worldwide subsequent summer season.
Nonetheless, the report goes on to counsel that the Magpies should not alone of their pursuit of the defender, with Manchester United, Wolverhampton Wanderers and Paris Saint-Germain maintaining a tally of the scenario of Inacio – who Sporting at the moment are ‘ready to lose’ on the finish of the present marketing campaign, with the membership hoping to obtain the participant’s €45m (£40m) launch clause.
Dias 2.0
Contemplating simply how spectacular Inacio has been for Sporting in latest seasons, coupled with the exponential scope the 21-year-old has for future improvement, it’s simple to see why Howe would as soon as once more be curious about a deal to convey the centre-back to St. James’ Park on the finish of the present marketing campaign.
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Certainly, over his 14 Liga Portugal fixtures to this point this season, the £20.5m-rated expertise has been a rock on the coronary heart of Ruben Amorim’s backline, serving to his facet maintain three clear sheets, along with making a mean of 1.4 interceptions, 1.1 tackles, 2.1 clearances and profitable 4.1 duels – at a hit price of 58% – per recreation.
The £17k-per-week defender has additionally impressed going forwards, offering one help and creating two huge probabilities for his teammates, in addition to taking a mean of 0.6 photographs, making 0.5 key passes, enjoying 4.2 lengthy balls and finishing 74.1 passes – at a hit price of 90% – per match.
These returns have seen the Sporting starlet who journalist Zach Lowy as soon as dubbed “underrated” common a particularly spectacular Sofascore match score of 6.92, presently rating him because the Leoes’ Eleventh-best performer within the high flight of Portuguese soccer.
Moreover, with Inacio fairly clearly being a defender who’s extraordinarily stable on the again, a risk within the last third and extremely snug with the ball at his ft, it isn’t tough to see why Portuguese soccer skilled Daniel Oliviera in contrast the 21-year-old to Manchester Metropolis centre-back Ruben Dias, with Oliviera stating in an interview with Playmaker final yr:
“Dias was all the time a pure chief and Inacio’s communication could also be one space wherein he can enhance. Bodily talking, I imagine the younger Sporting defender would be capable to deal with the Premier League, as he’s very robust within the sort out and within the air.
“He’s additionally sensible in his defending, as simply two bookings all season will inform you. By way of his high quality on the ball, I might most likely price Inacio increased than Dias – he’s excellent on the deck and has a 91% cross completion price within the Primeira Liga this time period.
“Like I say, it’s arduous to make comparisons. I’m 100% certain about one factor: the 20-year-old Inacio is a greater participant than Ruben Dias was on the identical age.”
As such, ought to Howe go on to get a deal over the road for Inacio subsequent summer season, not solely would the 45-year-old supervisor have landed a particularly gifted younger defender, however he may even have unearthed Newcastle’s very personal model of the £98m-rated Metropolis star – one thing that’s certain to be a particularly tantalising prospect for everybody concerned with the Magpies.