Newcastle United are already preparing to bring in a new wide forward or two during the January transfer window after a slow start to the Premier League campaign under Eddie Howe, according to The Athletic.
The boos were supposed to follow Mike Ashley out the door.
But following another underwhelming performance at St James’ Park, their dominance counting for little at home to a Bournemouth side hit for nine by Liverpool less than a month ago, frustrations were audible as Newcastle extended their run of just one win in 2022/23.
The difference between a Magpies side without Callum Wilson and Allan Saint-Maximin, and a Magpies side with the talisman duo – both of whom ripped Manchester City apart during that 3-3 draw in late-August – is pretty substantial. Chalk and cheese. Night and day. A rip-roaring performance against Man City, and a tedious home draw with Bournemouth.
With all due respect, Ryan Fraser and Miguel Almiron represent a sizeable drop-off in quality. At least, with club-record signing Alexander Isak leading the line in Wilson’s absence, Howe is no longer pinning his hopes on the much-maligned Chris Wood.
Could Newcastle sign Bayer Leverkusen’s Moussa Diaby in January?
Either way, with the difference between Newcastle’s starting XI and their back-up options stark, it will come as no surprise that the Tyneside-based outfit are already planning to bring in reinforcements during the January transfer window.
New wide forwards, The Athletic say, are a priority.
Moussa Diaby, then, could come back into consideration. Per 90Mins, Newcastle scouted the fleet-footed France international during Bayer Leverkusen’s Champions League triumph over Atletico Madrid last week. With 17 goals and 14 assists last season, Diaby provides the ruthlessness Almiron and Fraser lack.
“Since he was young, Moussa had this talent,” Morade Djeddi, president of Diaby’s first club Esperance Paris 19e, told The Athletic.
“Very quickly, you realise that he has explosiveness. An ability to take on his opponent and dribbling skills. I’m not comparing him to (Lionel) Messi. I’m just saying that Lionel Messi didn’t learn his dribbling anywhere. It’s the same for Moussa. He was born with it.
“Moussa has a supernatural, divine gift. A gift that some have and others don’t.”
It remains to be seen, however, if Diaby’s £60 million price-tag makes a January deal a no-go. He is under contract until 2025.
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