Why Newcastle United should reignite interest in Yussuf Poulsen
Back in May, a report from the Chronicle Live had claimed that Newcastle United were interested in signing Danish international hitman Yussuf Poulsen from RB Leipzig. However, a transfer to Tyneside failed to materialise for the 26-year-old in the summer window after Newcastle’s proposed takeover bid by the Saudi-backed consortium was eventually vetoed by the Football Association.
Despite their failure to sign Poulsen, the Magpies still went on to enjoy a productive transfer window this past summer. Callum Wilson, Ryan Fraser, Jeff Hendrick and Jamal Lewis all came through the door at St. James’ Park to bolster Steve Bruce’s squad.
Profile
Yussuf Poulsen started his professional career with Lyngby Boldklub in Denmark before completing a move to RB Leipzig in the summer of 2013. He bagged 10 goals in 36 appearances in his debut season to guide Leipzig to a promotion-winning campaign in the German third-tier.
The 26-year-old played a key role as Leipzig won promotion to the Bundesliga at the end of the 2015-16 season and has established himself as a quality striker in the German top-flight over the past few years. Poulsen plundered a career-best tally of 15 league goals in 2018-19 to propel Leipzig to a third-place finish in the Bundesliga.
He helped his club achieve the same feat in the following campaign on the domestic front while also playing a key role in Leipzig’s march to the semi-final of the Champions League last term. Poulsen has registered a total of 66 goals and 53 assists in 261 appearances for Leipzig in all competitions so far while also scoring 7 goals in 48 senior international outings for Denmark.
Poulsen would be a quality addition to the Newcastle attack
Callum Wilson has proven himself to be a massive bargain for Newcastle so far this season. The former Bournemouth star has struck 6 goals in 8 PL games for the Magpies, providing a much-needed boost to what was a rather toothless attack last season.
Steve Bruce has rotated the likes of Allan Saint-Maximin, Andy Carroll and Joelinton to complement Wilson up top in his preferred two-man attack. While Saint-Maximin has been one of Newcastle’s standout performers so far, the latter two have continued to underwhelm. Carroll seems well past his prime and is yet to score a league goal for the Magpies since returning to Tyneside in 2019.
Joelinton has scored only twice in 45 PL outings for Newcastle since his big-money move to St. James’ Park from Hoffenheim ahead of the 2019-20 season. Hence, Bruce should consider cutting his losses on those two flops to make room for new arrivals. In other words, Newcastle should ideally look for a quality target man to get the best out of Wilson moving forward.
To put things into perspective, Newcastle should definitely make a renewed attempt to sign Yussuf Poulsen when the market reopens in January. The Dane’s track record at Leipzig clearly suggests that he’s not only adept at scoring but also excels with his creativity to lay on assists for his teammates in the final third.
Standing at 6ft 4in with a towering frame, Poulsen perfectly ticks the box as a powerful target man who would offer Bruce a wide range of qualities to improve cohesion in front of goal. Poulsen is also capable of playing out wide and a potential deal for the Dane would, therefore, hand a significant boost to Newcastle’s squad dynamics.
Read More
- Why Harry Souttar would be a good long-term signing for Newcastle
- Why a new deal for Isaac Hayden is the right decision by Newcastle
Verdict
Yussuf Poulsen hasn’t always been a regular starter for Leipzig over the years but has impressed as a quality striker in the Bundesliga, nevertheless.
The 26-year-old still has his best years ahead of him and seems to have all the right attributes to make the step up to the Premier League. Having said that, the Magpies should start keeping tabs on the Dane once again.
