Newcastle United sent their scouts over to Turkey to cast an eye over versatile full-back Ferdi Kadioglu and reports suggest they were very impressed with what they saw.
Eddie Howe‘s hunt for defensive reinforcements have now taken him to Turkey with scouts deployed to Fenerbahce to watch left-back Ferdi Kadioglu, and according to a report from Turkish outlet, Takvim, it was a positive trip.
The scouts watched on as Ferdi bagged Fenerbahce’s second goal in a 2-0 win over Kayseri. Newcastle’s talent spotters weren’t alone, said to be joined by scouts from Brighton with both sets of representatives writing reports saying they were ‘very impressed’ with the Turkish international.
Ferdi’s versatility would be like signing three players in one
Ferdi is able to play on both sides of the defence as well as in midfield, thanks to what Takvim describe as “high technical skills”. That kind of versatility is exactly what Newcastle could do with as they look to assemble a squad capable of sustaining a challenge over a full season.
As it stands, the current squad is quite rigid in terms of where they can comfortably play, so bringing in someone who can fill multiple roles would be an ideal way of increasing the adaptability of the squad without having to load up on new signings, given the 25-man squad limit.
This season Ferdi has played left and right back for Fenerbahce as well as attacking-midfield bagging one goal and three assists in 22 Super Lig appearances.
Fenerbahce are believed to have placed a £22m price tag on Ferdi, which is relatively low for a 23-year-old full international with Champions League experience and would be a perfect way for Newcastle to add quality and depth without having to worry too much about FFP.
Newcastle’s project should give them the edge
Takvim believe that it’s not just Newcastle and Brighton who are interested in Ferdi but don’t mention any other clubs by name. If it were to come down to those two, however, Newcastle should feel that they’re in a good place to beat Brighton to the signing. For all Brighton are doing well in the Premier League, and have shown time and time again that their recruitment is excellent, the fact is, the project at Newcastle will be far more appealing to players who want to play at the top level.
This is definitely one I’ll be keeping an eye on as there’s so much potential with Ferdi thanks to his young age, versatility and relatively low price.
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