Newcastle made a mistake by not signing a right winger during the summer transfer window, and it is an area Steve Bruce will hopefully address in January.
They have been linked, over the last couple of weeks, with a move for Hull’s 22-year-old star Jarrod Bowen, and Rony Lopes, the 23-year-old Portugal international, who only signed for La Liga side Sevilla in August.
Both are untested in the Premier League, but both have experience of the English game, with Bowen having made 95 Championship appearances.
Lopes was part of the Manchester City youth set-up, making two FA Cup appearances for the senior side, before being loaned to Lille, and then making a permanent move to Monaco.
Both Bowen and Lopes have strong stats
Comparing the stats between the two, it would seem that Bowen would be the more likely to make a quick impression, but both players have qualities they could bring to Newcastle.
Bowen has scored 40 Championship goals during those 95 league starts, with another seven assists.
In contrast, ignoring the few appearances he has made for Sevilla to start the current campaign, Lopes has scored 26 goals, from 125 Ligue 1 appearances, along with a further 17 assists.
Those numbers suggest that Bowen is the more able finisher, but Lopes is a better creator of chances for his teammates.
Newcastle are shy of both those qualities in their current squad, and the stats show that both players can bring something that the team needs.
Neither player has had a sending off against their name from those league games, but Lopes has picked up 11 yellow cards, compared to Bowen’s four.
So it would seem that either of the two could prove to be an asset to Bruce, but it is the potential signing of Bowen that is likely to spark the most excitement in fans.
It remains to be seen which of the two Newcastle move for, and there may yet be other, unknown wingers interesting the club, who are currently flying under the radar.
But whatever happens, Newcastle definitely need to have more flair and threat from the right wing, and it must be their priority in January.
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