Journalist Jonathan Johnson has told CaughtOffSide that he thinks that Eddie Howe’s Newcastle United would be a better club for Bayer Leverkusen winger Moussa Diaby than Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal.
The French football expert has outlined the attributes of Diaby that make him such a special player.
Johnson has said that he does not think that Paris Saint-Germain should bring back the winger.
The journalist has explained why Newcastle would be a better fit for the 23-year-old than Premier League rivals Arsenal.
According to Bild journalist Christian Falk in CaughtOffSide this month, Arsenal want to sign Diaby in the summer transfer window and are already in contact with his agents.
The Chronicle reported this week that Newcastle have the 23-year-old France international winger on their shortlist.
Newcastle United better fit for Moussa Diaby than Arsenal
Johnson said: “I think Moussa Diaby’s name is coming up a lot ahead of the summer because he’s grown a lot since he left PSG to move to Germany with Bayer Leverkusen. We’re seeing links with the likes of Arsenal and Newcastle, and PSG themselves have also been linked with an interest in re-signing him.
“I’m personally not the biggest fan of the idea of PSG bringing back players that they let go for a low amount, as that can’t be considered smart business. Still, there’s no doubt about it – he’s a much better player than he was when he left PSG, much more developed, and it doesn’t surprise me to see clubs like Arsenal and Newcastle linked with him.
“He’s more than just a very speedy player, he’s got a lot of versatility on that left-hand side, and I personally think he’s most well suited to playing in a more attacking role, but he’s also done well as a wing-back.
“He’s arriving at a point in his career now where he needs to make the next step, and perhaps a Newcastle-like project would be a good fit for him in terms of where he’s at right now.
“But I do think there’ll be a number of clubs across Europe looking at him in the next few months, and a return to Ligue 1 has certainly been raised in the last few months.
“Still, with PSG’s financial constraints I’m not sure they’ll be able to stump up the kind of money Leverkusen would want for him. It wouldn’t surprise me if he had an asking price of €50m or just over that, something in the €40-50m range.
“There might be a scope to structure the deal so that the initial fee is a bit lower, but the overall structure of the deal is still likely to come up to around the €50m mark. I can’t see Leverkusen letting him go for anything less than a starting fee of around €30m.”
Impressive Stats
Moussa Diaby has progressed and developed a lot since leaving Paris Saint-Germain for Bayer Leverkusen in 2019.
The winger scores goals and creates chances, and at the age of 23, he is ready to take the next step in his career.
Diaby has scored eight goals and given four assists in 23 Bundesliga matches so far this season.
The Frenchman has also scored two goals and given one assist in the UEFA Europa League and scored two goals in the UEFA Champions League this campaign.
Diaby scored 13 goals and provided 12 assists in the Bundesliga last season.
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