The French winger is out of contract at the end of the season.
Wingers, by their very definition, are maddeningly inconsistent. And few epitomise the tricky wideman’s ability to flit between infuriating and ingenious quite like Paul-Georges Ntep.
At the age of 24, and in his fourth season in the Ligue 1 limelight, Rennes’ star man is still yet to prove whether or not he’s the real deal or just another talented wideman held back by inconsistency.
His impressive stats this season, two goals and five assists, suggest that he could indeed follow in the footsteps of Clinton N’Jie and Georges-Kevin N’Koudou and earn a big-money move across The Channel but, as recent history tells us, the ability to thrive in France does not necessarily equate to success in England.
Yet, Ntep is different. In fact, there are few more exciting players in Ligue 1 than Ntep on top form and, with his contract due to expire in six months, there should be no shortage of suitors despite the recent trend of French imports struggling to prove their worth on the flanks of Premier League clubs.
And you can expect to see Newcastle United’s name printed next to the former France under-21 international in many a gossip column in the months to come. After all, according to The Chronicle, The Magpies sent scouts to watch Ntep in action in a youth international against Sweden in 2014, the season after he exploded onto the scene with nine goals and five assists. That may be some time ago, but with head scout Graham Carr still at the club, Newcastle will likely still have the player on their radar.
The Chronicle reported last month that a left sided winger was at the top of Rafa Benitez’s list of priorities in the upcoming transfer windows and it just so happens that Ntep can potentially become one of the best around.
Did we mention he’s available on a free in the summer?
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