Despite Newcastle United’s recent injury crisis, Eddie Howe’s side have had a decent campaign with the Magpies still in with a shout of European football next season.
His side fell to a first defeat in five Premier League games against Crystal Palace on Wednesday night, but still sit seventh in the Premier League, just three points behind Manchester United.
In recent weeks, Howe’s defence has thrived despite losing players such as Jamaal Lascelles and Sven Botman to Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) injuries.
The Magpies have kept two clean sheets in their last three league outings, including one in the 4-0 hammering of Tottenham Hotspur at St James’ Park.
Their various setbacks have allowed Dan Burn to shift to a more central role, as a wide left-sided centre-back, but, ahead of the summer, the Magpies are still looking to strengthen their backline, with the club targeting one player to help solve their defensive woes.
Newcastle leading the race to sign new defender
According to Portuguese outlet A Bola, Newcastle have overtaken Liverpool in the hunt for Sporting Lisbon’s 20-year-old centre-back Ousmane Diomande, having also made an approach for the young starlet.
The Ivorian has excelled in Portugal this campaign, starting on 22 occasions and scoring two goals – a record that has put both Premier League sides on red alert.
The youngster has an €80m (£69m) release clause, as per the report, with Howe’s side potentially having to offload some first-team members if they are to afford a deal for the centre-back, as confirmed by the club’s CEO.
However, despite the release clause, Newcastle hope to be able to negotiate a deal with Sporting to try and strike a deal that would benefit both parties – with the Magpies needing to prioritise his addition given his recent stats and plaudits.
Why Diomande could be the answer to Newcastle’s defensive issues
Diomande, who’s been likened to a “hybrid” of Arsenal defenders William Saliba and Gabriel by scout Ben Mattinson, has produced some phenomenal stats in Liga Portugal during 2023/24 – even beating the Gunners’ star defensive duo in multiple key areas.
When comparing the trio’s stats during the current campaign, Diomande has dominated in and out of possession, albeit in a lower-quality division.
The defender has averaged 1.7 tackles per 90 this season, as per FBref, with Saliba and Gabriel only able to notch a tally of one and 1.5 respectively, for that same metric.
Despite his successes off the ball, the 20-year-old has also trumped the Arsenal centre-back pairing with the ball at his feet, averaging a whopping 5.3 progressive passes per 90, with neither the Frenchman or Brazilian able to average over four per 90.
Diomande is also capable of dribbling the ball out from the back, averaging 0.9 progressive carries per 90 – a tally that is the same as the Gunners’ defenders combined this season.
Diomande vs Gabriel & Saliba in 23/24
Statistics
Diomande
Gabriel
Saliba
Passes
74
65
76
Pass completion
91%
89%
92%
Tackles
1.7
1.5
1
Progressive passes
5.3
3.6
3.8
Successful take-ons
0.4
0.03
0.2
Progressive carries
0.9
0.4
0.5
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