Newcastle attempted to sign Niklas Sule back in the summer – now, the German has been likened to Harry Maguire after World Cup humiliation.
What’s the story?
Well, it was German football expert Christian Falk who revealed that Sule rejected Newcastle at the start of 2022, before eventually choosing to join Borussia Dortmund.
However, it now appears as if Eddie Howe dodged a bullet, after the 27-year-old struggled tremendously in Qatar as Germany suffered a shock exit from the group stage, for the second World Cup running.
Sule started as Germany recorded a 4-2 win over Costa Rica on Thursday, although it was not enough as Japan stunned them by beating Spain 2-1 in Qatar, after also defeating Germany by the same scoreline on matchday one.
The Borussia Dortmund No.25 struggled at the World Cup, and Rafael van der Vaart has now criticised his displays on Dutch TV station NOS Journaal.
He said: “Germany have a problem in defence. Niklas Sule is not world class. He is the German Harry Maguire.”
Now, Sule may not have enjoyed the best World Cup campaign, but there is no need to drag Maguire into it, as the Manchester United No.6 has actually performed superbly for England so far in Qatar.
Newcastle have already outgrown Niklas Sule
It speaks volumes about the progress Newcastle have made under Howe that they have already outgrown a player like Sule, who was deemed an attractive target in the early days of Amanda Staveley and Mehrdad Ghodoussi.
Now, the Magpies are signing defenders such as Sven Botman, and find themselves sat third in the Premier League.
Of course, a lot of people expected such a rise, but few could have foreseen it happening so quickly.
Whatever happens at St James’ Park from this point on, we doubt Newcastle will revisit their interest in Sule, after his worrying displays at the World Cup.
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