Newcastle United have now dispatched officials in the race to sign a Champions League goalscorer ahead of Aston Villa this summer.
Howe “desperately disappointed” by derby defeat
There are weeks from hell and then there is the week that Newcastle just endured. A 7-2 thrashing at the hands of Barcelona was bad enough, but the Magpies knew that they were up against one of the best sides in the world and knew they had the Tyne-Wear derby to put things right.
For 45 minutes, it looked as though they would do just that against Sunderland, too. Luke O’Nien’s loose pass allowed Anthony Gordon to open the scoring early on and Newcastle were on their way.
The impact of that 7-2 thumping at the hands of Barcelona soon became apparent, however, and a shattered Newcastle were slowly picked apart by Sunderland – allowing Brian Brobbey to net a late winner.
Eddie Howe didn’t fall back in excuses at full-time. He knew that he couldn’t afford to go down that road. Instead, all he could do was admit how disappointed he was for the umpteenth time this season.
The Newcastle boss told reporters: “Very painful. Most of all painful for our supporters, they’re the ones I think about now.
“I’ve got very little to use as an excuse, I don’t want to go down that road – I have never believed in that method, once you haven’t performed and you know the size of the game and you don’t deliver.
“You expect to be criticised and you understand why, so I understand the reaction at the end of the game, we haven’t done our jobs well enough today.
“We’re desperately disappointed in ourselves and I think we have to absorb it. The only thing we can do is try and come back stronger from it.”
It was another game in which Newcastle’s recruitment could be questioned and that makes this summer all the more important. The Magpies must get it right.
Newcastle soar into race to sign Thuram
As reported by Caught Offside, Newcastle have now made contact in the race to sign Marcus Thuram from Inter Milan this summer.
Those on Tyneside are attempting to hijack Aston Villa’s move for the goalscoring superstar, who is seriously considering a move away from Italy in pursuit of a fresh start.
Scouts from both Newcastle and Aston Villa have reportedly watched the Frenchman in action this season and both were impressed, given that they’ve since made initial contact regarding his signature.
|
Marcus Thuram’s career goals |
|
|---|---|
|
Inter Milan |
45 |
|
Borussia Monchengladbach |
44 |
|
EA Guingamp |
17 |
|
FC Sochaux-Montbeliard |
1 |
|
France |
2 |
|
Total |
109 |
Dubbed “intelligent” by former Inter Milan boss Simone Inzaghi, the £127,000-a-week striker certainly knows how to find the back of the net and his partnership with Lautaro Martinez is something that Newcastle can repeat in Tyneside.
Getting the best out of Nick Woltemade has been no easy task this season, but putting him back in his natural role alongside someone as experienced as Thuram may well crack the code to success.
