Newcastle United had a frustrating finale to their 2023/24 season. Despite finishing in seventh place, and celebrating a Europa Conference League place, they were essentially eliminated from the competition.
This was due to Manchester United’s FA Cup victory, which won them Europa League football, knocking Chelsea into the Europa Conference League and the Magpies out of European competition altogether.
Eddie Howe’s side had a slow start to the season and were eliminated from the Champions League in tough circumstances. Despite having qualification on the cards going into the last game of the group stage, a 2-1 defeat at home to Italian giants AC Milan saw them dumped out of the prestigious tournament, finishing bottom of the group.
Without continental commitments and lots of fixture congestion next season, Howe and his side have the chance to climb the Premier League table further and get themselves back into the top four or top six.
It will be a big transfer window for the Magpies, who need to strengthen in certain areas of the squad, but could also face a firesale over the summer. They need to sell players in order to comply with FFP regulations, as The Guardian reports. With that in mind, they have already been linked with a replacement for one potential outgoing.
Newcastle could land Guimaraes replacement
The player in question here is Nottingham Forest’s talismanic attacking midfielder Morgan Gibbs-White, who has been linked with a move to the club, as well as being touted as a potential replacement for Bruno Guimarães.
As Football Insider reported last month, Newcastle are in the race to sign the Englishman this summer. The piece clarified that the 24-year-old was also 'a target for Newcastle in January', and are now revisiting the deal during the summer window.
However, according to the report, Howe’s side are not the only team that are interested in signing Forest’s number ten over the summer. Tottenham Hotspur are also linked with a move for the 24-year-old, as they look to add depth in the attacking midfield ranks, for which they currently only have James Maddison as a viable option.
A report from John Percy of The Telegraph explains that Forest 'will demand in excess' of £50m for Gibbs-White this summer, should he depart the club.
Why Gibbs-White would be a good signing for Newcastle
It seems almost inevitable that Guimarães will leave St James’ Park over the summer. He has been linked with a move to Manchester City for around £100m, according to journalist Dean Jones via GiveMeSport.
It has been a productive season for Gibbs-White in the Premier League in 2023/24. He has scored five goals and registered ten assists, playing in all but one of the games, 37 in total. Only two Newcastle players had more top-flight goal involvements than him this season; Alexander Isak with 23 and Anthony Gordon with 21. Ironically, Guimarães was the only Magpies player with as many as Gibbs-White’s 15.
Player
Goals involvements
Alexander Isak
23
Anthony Gordon
21
Bruno Guimarães
15
Morgan Gibbs-White
15
Gibbs-White is a masterful ball-carrier, and he has excelled in a transitional system at the City Ground over the last two seasons. As per FBref, Gibbs-White averages 3.28 take-ons per 90 minutes, which places him in the top 5%, and completes an average of 1.25 take-ons per 90, ranking him in the top 12% of Premier League midfielders. The 24-year-old also averages 2.28 progressive carries per 90, which places him in the top 17%.
Not only that, he is very good creatively, too. Gibbs-White averages 2.11 key passes per 90, which places him in the top 7% of Premier League midfielders, with his 0.29 assists per 90 ranking him in the top 2%.
Off the ball, Gibbs-White works hard, too. He is dominant in the air, winning 1.71 aerial duels per 90 minutes, ranking him in the top 13%. Not only that, he makes an average of 5.10 ball recoveries per 90 minutes in total.
Football analyst Raj Chohan described Gibbs-White as the “Aldi Jude Bellingham”. His output and Fbref stats make it clear why he is being compared to one of the world’s best players – the Real Madrid star having been tipped for the Ballon d'Or this year by Brazilian legend, Kaka.
Like Bellingham – who has dazzled this season with 35 goals and assists during his first campaign in Spain – Gibbs-White has the ability to feature anywhere across the midfield, with his deployment in a deeper role at times ensuring he could be an ideal replacement or successor to Guimaraes.
For £50m, Gibbs-White would be a good investment for Howe and his team, adding quality and depth, as well as replacing Guimarães. They would also have £50m to invest from the left-over sale of the Brazilian.
It remains to be seen if a deal gets done, but it would certainly be a positive move for the Magpies.
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