This is a period of upheaval for Newcastle United. Eddie Howe has left out of nowhere. The Magpies seem to be determined to replace him with Matthias Jaissle of Al-Ahli. Although a move is thought to be a matter of time, it has not been made official yet.
Despite the managerial situation, it looks like the Magpies are pushing forward with their transfer plans. And they are closing in on what looks set to be their fifth signing of the summer transfer window.
Of course, many will raise question marks over what this means for the next manager and how much say he will have when it comes to transfers.
The club’s transfer policy has seen a marked shift this summer. They seem to have moved away from building a winning project and instead have focused on signing youngsters who might improve in the future. But fortunately, their next signing does have a bit of experience under his belt and is proven.
David Ornstein confirms next Newcastle United signing is close
According to a report from David Ornstein for The Athletic, Newcastle United are close to completing the signing of SC Braga goalkeeper Lukas Hornicek.
The fee for Hornicek is €30 million (£25.7m million), which is the value of his release clause. Newcastle United are in the process of negotiating the payment terms with the Portuguese club as a deal for the 24-year-old advances towards a conclusion.
So, it looks like Hornicek is going to be the next number one for Newcastle United. I have been reporting along those lines for the past few days as well.
It had become pretty clear that Hornicek had become Newcastle United’s top target after James Trafford and Carl Rushworth appeared to give preference to other clubs. Obviously, that is going to be a cause for slight worry if you are a Magpies supporter.
Is Hornicek going to be the right signing for Newcastle?
This is not the first time that they might have to settle for someone who is not their first choice. The same seemed to happen with Bazoumana Toure as well, after a deal for Victor Munoz collapsed in the final steps.
The club had also agreed a fee with SC Freiburg to sign Johan Manzambi before he chose to join Aston Villa instead. The Magpies have not outrightly signed an alternative as both Aladji Bamba and Sean Steur are different profiles.
Anyways, Hornicek might end up proving to be a decent addition if he can find his feet in the English game. His numbers for SC Braga in Portugal have been fantastic.
Hornicek prevented more than four goals last season by outperforming his xGOT with a 69.2% save percentage. He was also one of the best goalkeepers in Portugal with the ball at his feet.
Nobody acted as a sweeper more often and 95th percentile for successful passes without making a single error leading to goal. He looks like a commanding presence in the box as well, as he was in the 80th percentile for high claims.
