Newcastle United, like every other Premier League side, found out their fate with the new fixtures getting released on Wednesday morning.
The Magpies will be hoping to start the campaign strongly, looking to build momentum heading into their Champions League campaign and get themselves into the top four.
It will not be an easy start for Eddie Howe’s side. They face Aston Villa away from home, followed by a visit from champions Liverpool as their first game at St James’ Park. To end August, the North East outfit have a trip to Elland Road to face Leeds United.
Howe will need his biggest players to step up and perform at the start of the season, and they might well be adding someone to the squad this summer who can help with that.
Newcastle’s latest transfer target
It is no secret that the Magpies are looking for a new attacker this summer, due to a need to strengthen and a lack of clarity on Anthony Gordon’s future. One Liverpool insider recently revealed that the Reds are ‘in active contact’ with the winger over a move.
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Names like Brighton’s Joao Pedro and Nottingham Forest’s Anthony Elanga have both been touted but Newcastle could actually look to bring a Manchester United attacker to St James’ Park instead.
Caught Offside report that Marcus Rashford is ‘being eyed up’ by Howe’s side. The Toon side are said to be ‘names to watch in the Premier League’ as the race for Rashford’s signature goes on.
It remains unclear whether this will be a loan deal or a permanent move. Aston Villa, one of the other sides interested in Rashford, had a £40m buy option in his loan contract, so he may well be valued at the same price by United. Other interested parties included Tottenham Hotspur and European giants Barcelona, Bayern Munich and Inter Milan.
Why Rashford would be a good signing
After a tough first half of the 2024/25 campaign for Rashford, he really made a strong end to the season during his short stint at Villa Park. The 27-year-old reminded the world why he is such a deadly attacker.
In 17 games for the Villans, the England international scored four times and grabbed six assists. What makes that even more impressive is the fact that he played just 940 minutes, the equivalent of 10.4 full 90-minute games, leaving him with a rate of almost one goal involvement per game.
Of course, let’s not forget the sensational career Rashford has had at Old Trafford. The Wythenshawe-born superstar scored 138 goals and registered 79 assists in 426 games for his boyhood club.
The winger was once described as a “big-game player” by Statman Dave. That is good news for Newcastle, who need that kind of quality with the start to the season they have. They have been on the receiving end of it too. He scored against the Magpies in the 2023 Carabao Cup final.
If the Magpies do sign Rashford, he would arguably be a perfect replacement for Gordon. The Newcastle star scored and assisted 16 goals in 42 games last season, fewer than Rashford’s 20 in 41 games for both United and Villa.
Last season, there were several standout moments for the winger, who could soon depart to Anfield, it seems. He scored in both legs of their Carabao Cup semi-final against Arsenal, but did miss the final against Liverpool, after a red card in the Premier League.
Their numbers on FBref stack up well with each other, too. For example, Rashford last season averaged 3.55 shot-creating actions per game, compared to Gordon’s 3.74. This shows that both wingers are constantly involved in chances, even if they don’t end up being the one who has the shot, which is a good trait for an attacker to have.
Goals and assists
0.57
0.41
Expected goals
0.3
0.3
Key passes
1.77
1.89
Take-ons completed
1.14
1.41
Shot-creating actions
3.55
3.74
Losing Gordon would be a huge blow for Newcastle, but if they were to sign Rashford as his replacement, he’d be the perfect alternative. The goals and assist numbers from the United star were better last season, and he would keep the same level of directness Gordon offers.
Whether this is a £40m move or a loan deal, it could be the type of signing that keeps Howe’s side as true competitors across all competitions.
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