The Times recently claimed that Newcastle see Italy as an ideal market to raid for world-class talent. The report named three players embroiled in current contract sagas as potential future targets.
Those players are Lazio keeper Thomas Strakosha and Inter Milan pair Marcelo Brozovic and Stefan de Vrij. Brozovic and Strakosha are both on deals that will expire in the summer while de Vrij is in a prolonged dispute to extend his Inter stay beyond 2023.
There has also been reports that Napoli’s Lorenzo Insigne is on the radar. The 30-year-old is out of contract in the summer and engaged in a bitter dispute with the club he’s been with since the age of 15.
The theme that runs through these targets is that they are world-class stars with uncertain futures at their current clubs. However, another theme is that they are very unlikely to join Newcastle in our current state.
This stark reality can also be transferred to Fiorentina’s Dusan Vlahovic, who has been touted as a potential target according to Alan Nixon in The Sun. The 21-year-old’s trajectory has seen him emerge as one of the most coveted striking talents in the world.
He has been tangentially linked in the past and Nixon claims Newcastle scouted him during Serbia’s monumental win at Portugal during the break. But his sudden rise in production will likely mean he is out of Newcastle’s reach at the moment.
The Partizan Academy product joined Fiorentina in the summer of 2018 as an 18-year-old. The striker broke into the first team in 2019-20, mainly as an impact substitute scoring 6 goals in his 30 league appearances.
It was at this juncture last season that his talents truly started to blossom. From December 2020 to the present, the 6’3″ Vlahovic has scored 30 goals in his 40 Serie A appearances. He has added 2 goals in 2 Cup appearances as well as 6 goals in his last 10 caps for Serbia.
His contract with Fiorentina runs out in 2023. However, they are now resigned to the fact that Vlahovic will not be signing a new deal to remain in Florence. They will likely cash in on their star striker in January or next summer.
Vlahovic was heavily linked as a potential Harry Kane replacement if Tottenham had caved in and sold the striker last summer. Manchester City are also admirers of the prolific Serb.
His price tag has been touted as high as £70m but Nixon claims it could be less than that. Newcastle could theoretically outbid any rivals but the glaring issue would be convincing Vlahovic to come to a struggling Newcastle enmeshed in a desperate fight for survival.
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121 comments so far
sparky55
Nov 22, 2021 at 12:16 PM
Comment #11ST
Ron Knee
Nov 22, 2021 at 12:18 PM
Comment #2Wor B @31
A friend of mine – married with two kids – went to an off-licence to buy some drink. The woman refused to serve him because he looked too young.
Wor B
Nov 22, 2021 at 12:22 PM
Comment #3Peter
Was pleased to learn that M has brought you out of retirement to design a new satellite system. With that and the consortium’s money, Moonraker and Captain Marvel we could be pushing for world domination, never mind the FA cup.
Peter
Nov 22, 2021 at 12:25 PM
Comment #4lol
Wor B
Nov 22, 2021 at 12:25 PM
Comment #5Ron
That’s a problem we’d all love. Unfortunately, I can get into SJP on my older friend’s Senior ticket without any fear of being questioned. 🙁
sparky55
Nov 22, 2021 at 12:27 PM
Comment #6Not sure what Klopp’s problem is…he’s already told Liverpool he’ll see out his current contract then go back to Germany…unless of course he’s going to Bayern…but who knows??
If he is going back to Germany to retire, why be bothered about Newcastle winning everything in 6 years time?…he’ll be long gone!
Knob!
anyway…Onwards and upwards
Sheikh rattle and roll 🙂 🙂
Peter
Nov 22, 2021 at 12:28 PM
Comment #7Great quote in today’s Times (yes, sorry, I live in Surrey).
“Do I need to watch the first 122 Taking of Pelham films to enjoy the taking of Pelham123?”
Ron Knee
Nov 22, 2021 at 12:28 PM
Comment #8Fortunately, I was with him in the off-licence!
Ron Knee
Nov 22, 2021 at 12:29 PM
Comment #9@8 was for Wor B.
Peter
Nov 22, 2021 at 12:32 PM
Comment #10WorB, one advantage is my house does not appear on satnav – I cannot figure how that happened.
Wor B
Nov 22, 2021 at 12:35 PM
Comment #11amoffoot
Send three and sixpence, we’re going to a dance.
Laters.
Ashingtoon62
Nov 22, 2021 at 12:44 PM
Comment #12Mund
A blacklist you say!
Can I paly Dembe? you’re Red I take it and maybe Rom could play Mr Kaplan..
😉
fatha1965
Nov 22, 2021 at 12:46 PM
Comment #13Wor
I thought it was Three and four pence
Peter
Nov 22, 2021 at 12:48 PM
Comment #14oh dear, and into the 8th circle of hell we descend
Peter
Nov 22, 2021 at 12:50 PM
Comment #15Fatha, WorB must live more south than you. Gets more expensive
IrishRob
Nov 22, 2021 at 1:14 PM
Comment #16Anyone else hate the way sponsors are placed so high up on the jerseys now adays. It just makes the bottom 3/4 of the shirt look plain and one dimensional now.
I’ve a feeling it might be something to do with having the sponsor higher up on the kit makes it easier to see and more likely to be in frame in close ups.
Peter
Nov 22, 2021 at 1:18 PM
Comment #17rob, I would just like to seethe shirt number
Romford mag
Nov 22, 2021 at 1:19 PM
Comment #18Never watched the blacklist !
So I’m taking it as Mr Kaplan is a serial sniffer or something like that 😉
IrishRob
Nov 22, 2021 at 1:21 PM
Comment #19Peter, A smaller sized shirt number under the sponsor would be a good shout tbf. Have a number front and back would be easier to follow players on the pitch.
DrGloom
Nov 22, 2021 at 1:21 PM
Comment #20Think we’re going to struggle to bring in any top names in Jan , nobody is going to come with the prospect of championship football hanging over the club …
We’re unlikely to be able to sell players ( at least players we want to sell so we’re also going to have a bunch of first team squad players without a place come Jan ).
Howe has a lot to me think.
niafron
Nov 22, 2021 at 1:26 PM
Comment #21“In Dante Alighieri’s Inferno, part of the Divine Comedy, Malebolge (/mæl?bo?ld?/) is the eighth circle of Hell. Roughly translated from Italian, Malebolge means “evil ditches”. Malebolge is a large, funnel-shaped cavern, itself divided into ten concentric circular trenches or ditches. Each trench is called a bolgia (Italian for “pouch” or “ditch”). Long causeway bridges run from the outer circumference of Malebolge to its center, pictured as spokes on a wheel. At the center of Malebolge is the ninth and final circle of hell.”
“As the eighth of nine circles, Malebolge is one of the worst places in hell to be. In it, sinners guilty of “simple” fraud are punished (that is, fraud that is committed without particularly malicious intent, whereas malicious or “compound” fraud—fraud which goes against bond of love, blood, honor, or the bond of hospitality—would be punished in the ninth circle). Sinners of this category include counterfeiters, hypocrites, grafters, seducers, sorcerers and simoniacs.”
Ashingtoon62
Nov 22, 2021 at 1:29 PM
Comment #22I was banking on the fact, that you hadn’t seen it Rom. 😉
Toonces
Nov 22, 2021 at 1:30 PM
Comment #23Vlahovic is most likely not a viable option for us in January so just people making up stories to get their clicks.
What bothers me more about this story is it is emblematic of how poor our scouting has been that last few years, really since Carr left. Fiorentina scouted and signed Vlahovic at 18 from Partizan. Where were our scouts? Why were we not finding these young talents? Could it be we do identify them but under Ashley’s tenure his policies keep us from being able to sign them (poor offers and poor facilities) or lose them once here (ala Bobby Clark)?
No doubt this will change with the rebuilding of all of our club from top to bottom but it has still been aggravating to know that other clubs have been identifying and developing impressive young players and the pinnacle for us has been a barely premier league capable Longstaff or two.
niafron
Nov 22, 2021 at 1:31 PM
Comment #24IrishRob
Personnaly, i hate the fact there’s sponsors on shirts, so…
Ashingtoon62
Nov 22, 2021 at 1:34 PM
Comment #25Toonces
You also have to think of,how many of Fiorentina’s 18 year olds they hoovered up,are now making pizza’s for a living.
Ashingtoon62
Nov 22, 2021 at 1:39 PM
Comment #26Does anyone on here, Know the craic about signing 16-18 yrs old foreign players nowadays?
I’m thinking since leaving the EU..
simon376
Nov 22, 2021 at 1:42 PM
Comment #27Dr Gloom
I think in January and to some extent the summer, lot of signings will be good players toward end of career looking for last big payday. Its not ideal, but if can use that to get us up the league and get younger players more interested, I wont complain
onmeedsun
Nov 22, 2021 at 1:44 PM
Comment #28Niafron
You enrich the blog and take us to parts that other posters don’t reach. And English is not even your first language. Impressive.
IrishRob
Nov 22, 2021 at 1:44 PM
Comment #29I’ve a feeling we’re struggling to bring in anyone tbh, both directors, coaches and players. It seems if coaches and directors want to cone here they wouldn’t take this long, its ridiculoushow long it took to get Eddie. I’m not blaming the owners when I say that, but I’ve a feeling a lot of clubs are going to tell us to get lost and those who won’t might not want to join or moral or religious grounds.
My guess is we’re either going to have a crazy good window or a really bad one where they struggle to get anyone of quality in. It all depends on if what we’re reading into it all is true or not.
But one thing is for sure its obvious every PL club doesn’t want anything to do with us, and there is no reason to suspect a lot of European clubs won’t feel the same way. I’m not convinced having money is the be all and end all, or that we will just be able to make offers clubs can’t refuse.
IrishRob
Nov 22, 2021 at 1:46 PM
Comment #30I think it could very well be the case that our only chance of signing decent players I January is if they want to come personally and they try force a move through. But that all depends on if we look stable in the league by January, which I don’t think is very realistic tbh.
Toonces
Nov 22, 2021 at 1:47 PM
Comment #31Ashington
Respectively how many of ours are now making “pizzas”?
We haven’t seen a simple good premier league level pro come out of our youth setup since Dummett. Maybe one of the Longstaff’s will prove me wrong or one of these new kids like Anderson and White.
I’ll take Fiorentina’s record over ours at the moment.
onmeedsun
Nov 22, 2021 at 1:47 PM
Comment #32I’ve decided not to get stressed about points and our perilous league position. I just want to see improved performances on the pitch and individual players improve and for matches to be enjoyable. The game on Saturday ticked all those boxes, especially seeing JoeLinton look like a new player. Long may it continue.
IrishRob
Nov 22, 2021 at 1:48 PM
Comment #33Niafron I always loved them personally. Look how special the brown ale logo was on our old shirts, or the old Fiorentina shirt with the Nintendo logo.
Moonraker15
Nov 22, 2021 at 1:49 PM
Comment #34Personally, I hope Bruce gets the interim manager job although I think Carrick will get it!
There’s not a chance of him getting it though as I’m sure they realise he’s absolutely useless!
Good enough for Newcastle but not for the mancs !
Mund
Nov 22, 2021 at 1:52 PM
Comment #35Seen a few links to Doherty on Twitter he would be a good shout for January.
Ash
I’ve never watched the Blacklist. Just going through one I ignored for a long time in Homeland and me and the missus love it
IrishRob
Nov 22, 2021 at 1:54 PM
Comment #36Moon crazier things have happened. They really and truly don’t have anything loose in the position they are in right now. For the fact that literally anyone they’d even consider for longterm won’t be available until the summer.
niafron
Nov 22, 2021 at 1:56 PM
Comment #37@onmeedsun
Well, thank you, realy. I always thought Football is not just a sport but a social phenomenon and a cultural legacy as well.
Especialy, it’s mainly the sport of the working classes, and for them, it always was a way to learn, to improve themselves.
So it’s important to keep high academic standards when we are talking of our beloved game, especialy toward young generations, cause for them, modern professionnal Football probably look like some entertainment and nothing more.
Perhaps i’m a bit oldschool, or booring for some time to time, but it’s important to me.
Moonraker15
Nov 22, 2021 at 1:57 PM
Comment #38Gloom
With the threat of relegation the club just needs to give new signings the option to leave if we’re relegated.
That way there’s no risk to them!
niafron
Nov 22, 2021 at 2:00 PM
Comment #39@IrishRob
0k for the brown ale…but you’re realy appealing to my better nature!
Moonraker15
Nov 22, 2021 at 2:00 PM
Comment #40Irishrob
With Bruce ie zero tactics, they could finish bottom half.
They need to get in the top 4 or they’re financially stuffed.