Newcastle signing Raphael Holzhauser in January would be a fantastic coup
According to journalist Jeunes Footeaux via HITC (h/t Chronicle Live), Newcastle are looking to bring in Raphael Holzhauser on a bargain deal. The player has impressed with his performances last season, with Belgian club Beerschot helping them gain promotion. The same has continued this season, which has captured the attention of clubs like Newcastle and Hertha Berlin.
Profile
Raphael Holzhauser is a 27-year-old Austrian midfielder who plays for Belgian club Beerschot VA. he started out his youth career at ATSV Teesdorf in 1999 and moved to SV Rapid Wien after 4 seasons. At Rapid, he spent most of his youth career, before signing up for VfB Stuttgart’s youth side.
In 2012, he was promoted to the senior side and he made 33 appearances for them. The following season, he was loaned out to Augsburg but could not get much game time. On his return, he continued playing for another season at Stuttgart before being signed by Austria Vienna in 2015.
He had his most prolonged spell there as he made close to 150 appearances for them, scoring 29 goals and assisting 33. Post that, a short spell at Grasshoppers followed, where he made 22 appearances. Following that, he was a free agent for a few months before Beerschot signed him.
It has turned out to be a fantastic move as he has played 43 games for them so far, scoring 16 goals and assisting 17 more. Holzhauser recently made his debut for Austria too.
Holzhauser can be a smart coup for Newcastle
While Newcastle may not exactly be short-staffed in midfield, they are short on quality though. Apart from Jonjo Shelvey, there is not much of a goal threat from any of the midfielders. The problem though is that Shelvey can drop a worldie one game and a stinker in the very next.
This is where a signing like Holzhauser can slot in. A legitimate goal-scoring midfielder, he is an in-form midfielder right now. Newcastle are a decent side but need that extra bit of push for goals and creativity, which can be provided by the Austrian.
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With his deal running out in January, he can be a very good cut-price option for the Magpies in January itself. Yes, the Premier League is a huge step up from the Belgian league but this could well turn out to be a very shrewd bit of business on the club’s part.
