Why Newcastle would benefit by signing Boulaye Dia
As per a report by Chronicle Live, Newcastle United are looking to bring in Ligue 1 top scorer Boulaye Dia. The 24-year-old Reims striker is on Steve Bruce’s wishlist. He is valued at just £7m and is on a contract that expires in 2022.
Despite having the funds at their disposal, one hurdle that may arise in any Newcastle incomings will be the squad size. Steve Bruce admits that a few players will need to leave before they can sign more players. (h/t Chronicle Live)
Profile
Born in Oyonnax in France in 1996, Dia signed his first senior contract with the French lower-division club Jara Sud in 2017. After scoring 15 goals in 21 matches for them, the Senegalese international was snapped up by Ligue 1 club Stade Reims for an undisclosed fee the very next year.
The forward made 6 appearances for Reims’ B-team before being promoted to the senior side. Dia has appeared in 59 matches for Reims and scored 20 times. The striker is a part of Senegal’s international setup and has won 3 caps already for Les Lions de la Téranga.
Dia would fit the Newcastle attack
Boulaye Dia has taken the Ligue 1 by storm this season. After scoring a treble against Montepellier in a 4-0 win, Dia became the first Reims player to score a top-flight hat-trick in 52 years. Courtesy of that, the Senegalese sits at the top of the Ligue 1 scoring chart, having scored 8 goals in as many league games.
Newcastle’s new striker Callum Wilson has started the season in fine form after scoring 6 goals in 8 league games. However, his alternatives at the club are in dire form. Andy Carroll is yet to hit double figures for goals in a season since 2011. Dwight Gayle’s injury set-backs and inadequate goal return mean Steve Bruce may not entrust him with regular league starts.
Joelinton has just 2 goals in 46 league games, which is simply not good enough by Premier League standards. Despite having a stacked front-line, Newcastle have scored just 10 goals from their 9 Premier League games this season, 6 of which have come through Wilson. In light of this, it is evident that someone like Dia would fit in Newcastle’s attack and bolster their goal tally.
Wilson too could use the help up front to take some burden off his shoulders. If Dia is to go by his aforementioned valuation of £7m, then this deal would be significantly cheaper than what Newcastle have spent on forwards over the year.
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Verdict
Signing Boulaye Dia would be a low-risk, high-reward situation for Steve Bruce. The 24-year-old Senegalese is making waves in the French league and will attract interest from other clubs sooner rather than later. Brighton & Hove Albion are already monitoring the striker.
Hence, Bruce should make a decision as soon as possible to bolster his attack. The Magpies could do away with selling a few of the misfiring attackers in the upcoming transfer windows, and signing Dia would be replacing quantity with quality. Newcastle would be very smart to sign this up-and-coming Senegalese forward.
