A little over one month ago, Newcastle United’s new technical director, Ross Wilson, revealed the club have cash to spend in the January transfer window.
Now, with the mid-season market’s midpoint dawning, Toon faithful hopes of welcoming shiny new parts to assist Eddie Howe and his side have been dampened, if not doused.
But with the Magpies’ form so patchy this year, it feels important that improvements are made to tip the odds in their favour; having won three on the bounce in the Premier League, Newcastle are back in Champions League contention.
Sven Botman’s contract has been extended, and Tino Livramento is in Wilson’s sights too. But it’s clear that the Toon midfield packs a somewhat weaker punch than in recent years, and that is where they must invest.
Newcastle’s plans to sign a midfielder
Howe spoke at the start of the month about how January could prove “season-defining” for Newcastle. With three wins from three in the Premier League, his side are on the front foot.
As performances and results improve on the field, though, more needs to be done off it, with Joe Willock linked with a transfer to Leeds United, Howe and Wilson have identified an exciting replacement.
According to The Athletic, Newcastle are targeting a move for AZ Alkmaar prospect Kees Smit, though there is an acceptance at St. James’ Park that it will be difficult to pull off, what with Arsenal, Liverpool, Manchester United all keen too.
Moreover, much interest has been whisked up in recent weeks, and what was once an affordable price tag has mushroomed up to about £65m.
Still, Newcastle persist, and that tells us something of how highly Howe and Wilson value this rising star.
How Kees Smit could become a superstar at Newcastle
Smit is a talented up-and-coming midfielder, best known for his gifted ability on the ball but equally important for AZ through his maturity and combative approach to defending.
Como scout Ben Mattinson has described him as a “duel monster”, emphasising that point, while also praising his technical skills and predicting he “has superstar potential”, thus highlighting the other point.
His completeness in midfield and aggression against opponents suggest Smit could be lined up as the eventual successor to Newcastle skipper Bruno Guimaraes, whose performances have kept Newcastle afloat as a top-performing, title-winning team over the past several years.
Bruno is nothing if not consistent, and there’s no question that he is one of the best in the business, with analyst Raj Chohan saying, “Newcastle have every right to be putting this £100m valuation on him.”
Smit, only 19 years old, still has plenty of time to develop his skills, but as Bruno’s understudy, he could reach that potential sharply, especially when you see that initial buds of comparison can be seen in the players’ respective league metrics from the current campaign, Smit in the Eredivisie and Guimaraes captaining Newcastle in the Premier League.
Kees Smit vs Bruno Guimaraes (League Form 25/26)
Stats (* per game)
Smit
Guimaraes
Matches (starts)
16 (16)
20 (19)
Goals + Assists
2 + 2
8 + 3
Touches*
62.9
70.8
Accurate passes*
43.0 (89%)
44.7 (87%)
Chances created*
1.6
1.5
Dribbles*
0.9
0.6
Ball recoveries*
5.9
4.7
Tackles + interceptions*
1.8
2.7
Duels won*
3.9
5.5
Data via Sofascore
Smit is not as effective as a direct source of goals, be that as the scorer or supplier, but the inference here is that he operates deeper, willing and happy to perform from the centre.
That is his role, and one he excels in performing, but Smit has the makings of something more. He may yet emulate Guimaraes’ attacking potency, already ranking among the top 12% of Eredivisie midfielders for shot-creating actions and the top 6% for progressive carries per 90, as per FBref, showing he can create and drive forward into promising areas.
A carry is considered progressive if the ball is moved towards the opponent’s goal at least 10 yards from its starting point or is carried into the penalty area.
So then. Will Newcastle sign this player? It’s hard to say, but there’s no question that they would be getting bang for their buck, just as they did when they took a punt on young Guimaraes, signing him from Lyon for £40m.
Why not repeat the trick?
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