Newcastle United want to sign an attacking midfielder this summer, and it appears to be a toss up between James Maddison and Dominik Szoboszlai.
The Magpies have been focussing their efforts on signing a defensive midfielder, but it looks like that quest is soon going to have a positive resolution. That is because Sandro Tonali appears to be on the brink of leaving AC Milan and joining Eddie Howe’s side.
The 23-year-old will be a marquee addition, but he might not be the only big name midfielder who will arrive at St James’ Park this summer.
Howe also wants someone more creative – someone who can be decisive in tight moments and add more flair to Newcastle’s attack. He also wants someone flexible, who can play out wide as well as through the middle.
The club appear to have landed on two major targets who fit the bill – James Maddison and Dominik Szoboszlai.
Both players are being heavily linked with moves to Tyneside. Maddison has reportedly been asking people about what life is like in the North East, while Newcastle have held fresh talks with RB Leipzig about signing Szoboszlai.
Neither player is going to be cheap. Leicester want at least £50million for Maddison, while Leipzig wants Szoboszlai’s £60million release clause paid in full.
And with that in mind, Sky Sports presenter and Newcastle fan Pete Graves believes he has cracked the code on which player the club will prioritise.
Why Newcastle should go for Dominik Szoboszlai over James Maddison
Following news of a breakthrough in the Tonali deal, Graves took to Twitter to suggest that he thinks Newcastle could now turn their attention to Szoboszlai, and focus their efforts on him rather than Maddison.
He then explained his reasoning on his official Instagram account, and it makes perfect sense.
“In the back of my mind I’ve got this nagging thing I can’t get rid of – James Maddison or Dominik Szoboszlai,” he said.
“They want an attacking midfielder as well, which one are they going to go for? Maddison, 26-years-old, 27 this year, last big contract. He’s going to be demanding huge wages.
“Szoboszlai will be a lot cheaper from a wages point of view. So from that point of view he gets the tick. Szoboszlai is also 22. From that point of view he gets the tick as well. He fits the profile of the other players who are signing for Newcastle in this window potentially.
“Also, you’re looking at it from a point of view with transfer fee. We know that Szoboszlai has £60million buyout clause. That is the maximum Newcastle would have to spend. They could even negotiate a lower fee. Whereas Maddison, Leicester have already said they want £50million plus, could rise to £55million with add-ons, potentially £60million. There’s going to be no difference there from a transfer fee point of view.
“So if you’re going to pay the same amount of money but you know you can get him on much lower wages and you know he is five years younger, is Szoboszlai going to become more of a focus than Maddison in the coming days? I’ve got a funny feeling he might, but again it’s a personal opinion.”
Pete Graves is spot on
When you break it down like that, it seems obvious that Newcastle should go for Szoboszlai over Maddison – especially from a financial perspective.
The one thing Maddison does have over the Hungarian is Premier League experience. The England international is a proven source of goals and assists in the top flight of English football, whereas it is unknown how Szoboszlai will adapt.
Newcastle will surely have confidence that he can thrive in the Premier League, otherwise they would not waste their time pursuing a deal for him.
But with Newcastle’s Tonali deal edging towards a conclusion, the club will soon move on to their next target. It is only Graves’ opinion, but he thinks it will be Szoboszlai over Maddison.
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