Is previously-slammed Florian Lejeune becoming a major player for Newcastle United?
Having won three of their last five Premier League games, Newcastle United appear to have hit a bit of form at just the right time.
Ayoze Perez’s 80th-minute winner against Huddersfield on Saturday took Rafael Benitez’s side up to 12th in the Premier League table, seven points clear of the drop zone.
The Magpies aren’t out of the woods yet, but they have given themselves a huge boost in recent weeks and much of that is down to centre-back Florian Lejeune.
Newcastle have conceded four goals in the last five Premier League outings that Lejeune has started, whereas they shipped eight in the last four matches that Ciaran Clark started prior to Lejeune coming into the side.
Alongisde Jamaal Lascelles, Benitez’s side simply to appear to be a lot more comfortable defence with that partnership and allthough Lascelles has been getting plenty of credit, the Frenchman’s contribution shouldn’t be overlooked.
Lejeune, an £8.7 million signing from Eibar, took a while to get to grips with English football, culminating in criticism from the fanbase, but he now looks to be a fantastic signing and Newcastle could make a massive profit if he has a more consistent second season at St James’s Park.
Eyebrows were raised in Christmas after Benitez made him Newcastle’s second-most expensive signing of last summer’s window – behind only Jacob Murphy, for £12 million – but more and more it’s looking like an inspired bit of business by the Spanish manager.
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