Newcastle United are interested in signing Tammy Abraham and have held talks over the Roma star’s potential transfer, but who else has joined the Magpies from Serie A recently?
The Toon have shopped in the Italian top-flight sparingly across the past 15 years, with just five joining since 2007. It has proven to be a tough market for the Tyneside outfit to crack, as well, with just one of the quintet proving a success during their spells at St James’ Park.
Abraham has a proven record for performing in England from his efforts at Chelsea and on loan with Bristol City, Swansea and Aston Villa. The 24-year-old struck 30 goals in 82 senior games at the Blues, 26 in 48 for the Robins, eight in 39 with the Jacks and 26 in 40 for Villa.
Newcastle interested in Abraham transfer after instant Roma success
Now, the 10-cap England striker has shown he can take his skills to Serie A after a stunning first season. Abraham hit 27 goals in 53 games across all competitions, including 17 league efforts and nine in the Europa Conference League to help the Giallorossi win the UEFA cup.
Roma paid Chelsea £34m to sign Abraham last August and agreed to give the Blues a £68m buy-back option, per The Athletic. But they can only activate the clause from the summer of 2023. Yet his Stadio Olimpico success now has the forward wanted elsewhere in England.
Reports by 90min claim Newcastle are among a host of Premier League clubs interested in now signing Abraham from Roma. The Toon, Arsenal and Aston Villa have also spoken with intermediaries to sound out his availability. But each learned the London-born ace is happy in Rome.
Roma are also ready to offer Abraham a new contract with boss Jose Mourinho believing he merits a pay rise. The Giallorossi gave the 2020/21 Champions League winner with Chelsea a €6m-a-year (£98k-a/w) net deal to leave Stamford Bridge, where he had earned £70k-a/w.
Newcastle likely have the financial resources to rival Roma, should Eddie Howe step up any interest in Abraham. So, with that in mind, how have the five Serie A imports the Toon have secured over the past 15 years gone on to fare during their respective careers at St James’…
Valentino Lazaro last Serie A import to join Magpies with loan from Inter Milan
Valentino Lazaro is the most recent Serie A import to join Newcastle after signing with the Magpies on loan from Inter Milan in January 2020. Steve Bruce sought to hire the Austrian full-back in a half-season deal, which included a €25m (£21.25m) option to buy that year.
However, the Toon elected against retaining the 26-year-old after Lazaro only managed 15 appearances and started just five. The 34-cap international also received a red card in just his third Premier League outing, scored once in the league and failed to provide any assists.
Lazaro returned to Inter Milan after his Tyneside stay before spending the 2020/21 term at Borussia Monchengladbach. He managed 28 appearances with the Bundesliga outfit with 22 in the league. Yet then spent 2021/22 on loan in Portugal with Benfica for 29 appearances.
Achraf Lazaar proved major flop at Newcastle after leaving Palermo
Achraf Lazaar proved to be a major flop during his time at Newcastle after leaving Palermo in 2016 for £2m. The Morocco full-back had spent his entire senior career in Italy before his switch to St James’, where Lazaar managed just 10 games before leaving in February 2021.
Following loan spells at Benevento, Sheffield Wednesday and Cosenza, Newcastle released Lazaar without playing for the club since August 2017. He then joined Watford, but left in August 2021 for Portimonense where the 30-year-old played just four games this season.
Newcastle would hope Tammy Abraham is no Seydou Doumbia repeat amid interest
Newcastle would hope Abraham is no repeat of Seydou Doumbia should Howe explore the club’s interest in raiding Roma. The Toon loaned the Ivory Coast hero from the Giallorossi in February 2016 for the remainder of that season. But he proved to be an absolute disaster.
Doumbia only managed three appearances totalling 29 minutes with the Magpies and did not feature beyond March. He also failed to score, provide an assist or start a single game. The 37-cap ace had also only hit two goals in 14 games for Roma after joining them in 2015.
Roma had paid CSKA Moscow £11m plus £1m in add-ons for Doumbia in January to aid their Serie A title hopes. Yet he flopped in Italy, before returning to Russia on loan that summer. His Toon spell then followed before Basel and Sporting Lisbon, who he joined permanently.
Davide Santon only Serie A success story for Newcastle in past 15 years
Davide Santon is the only Serie A success story over Newcastle’s last 15 years for the club to look at when considering signing Abraham from Roma this summer. The full-back joined the Toon from Inter Milan in 2011 for £5m and he remained in black-and-white for four seasons.
The Italian returned to the San Siro on loan in January 2015 before completing a permanent switch that summer. Over Santon’s time at St James’, he made 94 appearances for one goal and five assists. He is now at Roma after joining in 2018, but is out of contract this summer.
Santon could aid Newcastle’s interest in Abraham by singing the club’s praises to his Roma teammate. But his Tyneside spell ended in acrimonious fashion, playing just 59 minutes in 2014/15 before re-joining Inter and his partner claiming United forced the defender to go.
Fabio Zamblera joined Magpies as youth prospect but failed to fulfil potential
Fabio Zamblera joined Newcastle as a youth prospect from Atalanta in January 2008, but he failed to fulfil his potential on Tyneside. The centre-forward never managed to make a single senior appearance with the Magpies, before leaving the club in 2011 at the end of his contract.
United also loaned the former Italy youth international to Sampdoria and Roma prior to his release. Zamblera would return to Italy as a free agent with Valcalepio later in 2011, before spells at Bellaria from 2012 to 2013 and Palazzolo from 2013 to 2015 in a forgotten career.
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