Newcastle United are 14th in the Premier League for goals scored, have netted one or less goals in 77.77% of their games and don’t have a player in their squad with more than three assists, so they could do with a playmaker that can create chances.
According to Le10 Sport, Newcastle tried and failed to sign Lucas Paqueta, having a €40m (£33.9m) bid rejected by Olympique Lyonnais while having a contract offer worth €10m-a-year/£192k-per-week (£8.5m-a-year/£163k-per-week) reportedly turned down by the player too.
The 24-year-old joined Lyon on a five-year deal from AC Milan in September 2020 and has gone on to make 55 appearances in all competitions, scoring 17 goals with 10 assists. Despite being a talented attacking-midfielder, fans on social media don’t want Paqueta if he doesn’t want Newcastle.
Shaun Patrick Watson: “Nobody is coming (here) for football ambition just yet.”
Matthew Porter: “Not to worry, when things are turned round, that’s one player to leave well alone.”
Graeme Appleby: “That’s fine. We want players who can see the big picture, not mercenaries after a last big pay day. We want quality players in it for the long run.”
Ed Britton: “Forget the mercenaries.”
Newcastle are 19th in the Premier League and three points adrift of safety, but they’ve played two games more than their relegation rivals.
The Magpies are in trouble under Eddie Howe and are expected to spend their newfound riches from the Public Investment Fund, PCP Capital Partners and RB Sports & Media’s takeover to get out of the bottom three.
In other news, Alan Hutton tips Newcastle United to sign Edin Dzeko
