Newcastle make €40m bid for LaLiga's most improved midfielder to replace Tonali

Suraj Radia

24 Nov 2023 09:48 CST
3 min read

Newcastle will be in the market for a Sandro Tonali replacement in January and reports in Spain have suggested that they are preparing to make an offer for La Liga’s most improved midfielder as a potential solution.

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Tonali will be unavailable for the Magpies until August next year after being suspended for gambling offences just months after he made his joint-club record transfer to Newcastle, leaving a sizeable gap in Eddie Howe’s midfield for the foreseeable future.

With Howe’s side still competing in all four competitions – being the only English side still theoretically capable of doing the ‘quadruple’ – Tonali’s absence combined with an injury crisis that has left a staggering 12 players unavailable has prompted Newcastle to make plans to strengthen in January, particularly in midfield.

While the likes of Kalvin Phillips and Ruben Neves feature on Newcastle’s shortlist, Spanish outlet Fichajes claim that the Premier League giants are ready to make a €40 million bid for Valencia star Javi Guerra.

Guerra is enjoying a breakout season for Valencia, having only made his professional debut in April, with only two outfield players playing more minutes for the club than the 20-year-old this year.

Valencia see Guerra as a long-term leader of the club going forward, proven by the decision to hand him a four-year contract in May, but their ongoing financial issues could see Newcastle take advantage and move for one of the brightest prospects in Europe.

Guerra’s meteoric rise to La Liga’s most improved talent

Guerra is considered an all-round midfielder with quality in defence, while also having chipped in with three goals and an assist in 11 games so far this season after making just six starts at the back end of last season.

Using SciSports numbers, which bases its findings on data-driven analytics, no midfielder in La Liga has developed more in the past six months than Guerra, with his rating jumping 28 points to an overall value of 80.

While his current rating is still on the low side compared to Newcastle’s squad, Guerra’s potential has also shot up nearly 40 points to 112.2, which would be greater than the current ability of Tonali and all but two members of Howe’s team.

Guerra’s rapid rise in a matter of months has already led to under-21 caps for Spain and saw him win La Liga’s under-23 player of the month award, indicating that the sky is the limit for the Valencia wonderkid.

Considering the inflated prices of midfielders in today’s game, €40m for Guerra could represent a shrewd acquisition from Newcastle, who could secure themselves an alternative to Tonali both in the short-term and potentially a successor in the long-term as well.