Change is afoot at St. James' Park. Co-owners Amanda Staveley and Mehrdad Ghodoussi have sold their shares in Newcastle United and will leave after playing instrumental parts in the PIF-backed takeover in 2021.
Paul Mitchell has also been confirmed as United's new sporting director after the protracted Dan Ashworth saga drew to a close at the start of the month. Last month's PSR concerns have been combatted shrewdly with sales that have swerved the gnawing sense that one of the club's top talents needed to be sacrificed, instead, such linchpins stay put.
Eddie Howe is now focused on strengthening his squad, tweaking and tinkering to chart a course back into the Champions League. The 2023/24 campaign was ruined by injuries but now the Magpies can start afresh, and while a spread of positions require attention, sights have been fixed on a Premier League forward… again.
Newcastle lining up new striker
As per Football Insider, Newcastle are prepared to return with a fresh bid to sign Dominic Calvert-Lewin, who had been nearing a move to Tyneside one month ago.
Yankuba Minteh heading toward Goodison was a crucial part of the negotiations but Brighton & Hove Albion prevailed in that race, though Callum Wilson's possible departure could see space freed up for the rangy striker's signing.
Indeed, Newcastle are pushing to sell Wilson for £10-15m, and should interested suitors West Ham United step up their interest, cogs could fall into place nicely.
What Dominic Calvert-Lewin would bring to Newcastle
Calvert-Lewin has been one of the Premier League's most prominent centre-forwards for several years now, an excellent striker with aerially dominant properties that would make him the perfect foil for the dynamic skills of Alexander Isak.
Beleaguered by injuries over the past few years, Calvert-Lewin found his feet toward the end of the 2023/24 campaign, scoring four goals and adding an assist across his past seven appearances, with his revived physicality, if sustained, capable of leading him to a future laden with goals.
Hailed as a "high-level striker" by former boss Frank Lampard, the 27-year-old ranks among the top 6% of centre-forwards across Europe's top five leagues over the past year for aerial duels won and clearances made per 90, as per FBref, something that would allow him to serve as a focal point, with Anthony Gordon and the like bouncing off his presence.
2023/24
32
26
7
2
2022/23
17
15
2
1
2021/22
17
15
5
2
2020/21
33
32
16
1
2019/20
36
30
13
1
2018/19
35
19
6
2
2017/18
32
18
4
5
2016/17
11
5
1
0
Recent injury-hit years have swiped the 6 foot 2 star's prolificness from him but the signs of a resurgence were discernible last term, with The Athletic's Patrick Boyland even remarking that he was "like the DCL of old" during the Toffees' Merseyside Derby victory over Liverpool in April.
Newcastle could unburden the England international of the weight of being the star man up front, instead promising a shared role as Isak's understudy – allowing him to find his feet and rediscover his boots, thus moving back into the ascendancy.
He'd be a perfect fit, if, indeed, he manages to stay fit. Calvert-Lewin is even recorded to have striking stylistic similarities to that of Ivan Toney, so could mark a sense of vindication on Tyneside regarding that one.
How Calvert-Lewin compares to Ivan Toney
Toney cut his teeth at Newcastle but was sold to Peterborough in League One for all of £350k after a series of loan stints and four senior showings in black and white.
The "remarkable" forward, as dubbed by Brentford manager Thomas Frank, has since gone from strength to strength and is now a fully-fledged England international and one of the Premier League's deadliest marksmen, having scored 36 goals and supplied 11 assists across 83 appearances in the division since the Bees' resounding promotion – a term that saw Toney harvest 33 goals in the second tier.
Bold and bullish, the 6 foot 1 talent is a deadly marksman and creative besides, boasting sharp link-up qualities that have led his Three Lions teammate Declan Rice to hail him for being "kind of like Harry Kane in a way where he's not only an out-and-out striker, he's a playmaker as well."
As per FBref, Toney was one of the most similar forwards to Calvert-Lewin in the Premier League last season, himself ranking among the top 3% of forwards last term for interceptions made and the top 17% for aerial duels won per 90.
Calvert-Lewin is also deceptively creative, crafting four big chances for his peers last season despite being limited to only 26 top-flight starts. He's something of a "monster" up front – according to football talent scout Jacek Kulig – but he's also a multi-skilled player.
Newcastle's overall play could also free up greater opportunity for the Evertonian striker, who was left isolated on occasion last season. The Magpies averaged 52.2% possession in the Premier League last season, striking 14.5 shots and completing 9.3 dribbles per game (WhoScored).
Everton, conversely, averaged 40% of possession per match last year, taking less shots (13.3) and completing fewer dribbles (7.3) on average.
They did eclipse Newcastle in aerial duels won per game though (12 vs 18.3), suggesting that Calvert-Lewin's skyward strengths could add an invaluable dimension to the side, all the while using their superiority on the ball to put him in better positions.
Newcastle might not be likely to reclaim Toney's services any time soon, but in Calvert-Lewin, Howe could sign a striker with all the tools to add depth and dynamism to the frontline, gearing it up for an exciting campaign.
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