Newcastle United are being pushed for a decision on whether they will sign Paris Saint-Germain full-back Stanley N’Soki, according to The Chronicle.
The 20-year-old has reiterated that he wants to join Newcastle and has sent his wage demands, though Newcastle have been told they must make their decision in 24 hours, so N’Soki can find another club if the deal falls through.
This means Lee Charnley will have to make a decision on the €12m (£11m) transfer of N’Soki quickly.
N’Soki started eight league matches and came on as a substitute four times for PSG last season, as per WhoScored.
The man he would be most likely to challenge for a place in the starting line up at St. James’ Park is Paul Dummett, who started 21 league matches and came on as a substitute five times last season.
N’Soki made an average of 1.7 tackles, 1.5 interceptions and 1.5 clearances, while Dummett’s numbers were 1.3 tackles, 1.4 interceptions and 4.7 clearances per game.
Dummett’s inflated figures for clearances could have been down to the fact he would have defended deeper than N’Soki. Last August following Newcastle’s 2-1 defeat to Chelsea at St. James’ Park, ex-Blues boss Maurizio Sarri highlighted the home side’s deep defensive line specifically (via The Telegraph), showing the kind of defence Dummett was playing in.
Bearing that in mind, he would have been getting the ball out of danger more often, while PSG’s progressive style would see N’Soki winning the ball back further away from his own box and attempting to play out with it instead. After all, PSG manager Thomas Tuchel is a coach who puts an emphasis on counter-pressing and keeping hold of the ball, something highlighted by Football Whispers last year.
This is also backed up by the fact N’Soki made 1.1 dribbles per game, while Dummett made just 0.1.
Whether he would be able to do this as well in a Newcastle shirt is unlikely, as they will be far less dominant in games than PSG were last season, but this shows that he can carry the ball forward when the chance presents itself.
N’Soki is still only 20-years-old so has plenty of time to grow as a player, but he is already a good option for Newcastle and could be their starting full-back immediately.
To get this for approximately £11m is a very good deal and is not one Charnley and the club can afford to let slip away due to indecisiveness.
Newcastle fans, would N’Soki be an upgrade on Dummett? Let us know your thoughts in the comment section below!
