Newcastle United Opinion: Magpies should beat off competition for Daniel James
According to reports from Chronicle Live, Newcastle United are interested in securing the services of Swansea City winger Daniel James in the summer, with Man United, Man City, Everton and Bournemouth also weighing up moves for the highly-rated Welsh international.
James has enjoyed a wonderful breakout season in the Championship for Graham Potters’ side and has attracted plenty of interest from the Premier League clubs. The 21-year-old almost joined Leeds United back in the January transfer window, only for talks between the two clubs to break down before the transfer deadline. (h/t Chronicle Live)
James has been one of the standout performers for the Swans in the second-tier this season, contributing with 4 goals and 7 assists from 33 appearances in the Championship. His red-hot form has made him a hot property heading into the summer transfer window and few would back against him successfully making the step up to the Premier League next season.
The Chronicle also understands that Swansea are likely to demand a fee of around £10-12 million to part ways with Daniel James and he perfectly fits the profile of the type of player Newcastle are looking for in the summer.
Essentially a left-winger by trade, James has caught the eye with his electric pace and wonderful dribbling skills, while also showcasing the ability to hold on to the ball in tight areas along the flanks.
He has a very good technique for a player of his age and his techncial abilities combined with his eye for key passes makes him stand head and shoulers above most of the young players in the same mould. He does have the pace to burn and the drive, determination and strength to terrorise the full-backs, but it is his end product that has been very impressive this season, something that often goes missing in young players.
Blessed with quick feet and incredible acceleration, James has all the elementary attributes to develop into a world-class winger in the years to come and he can give some of the best full-backs in the world a run for their money if he continues to develop at this rate. His pass success percentage of 81, including 1.2 key passes, 1.3 dribbles and 2.6 shots per game in his inaugural season in the Championship show that his development curve has taken off exponentially.
To put things into perspective, Daniel James would be a picture-perfect signing for Newcastle United this summer, although the Magpies would have to do exceptionally well to strike a deal for him, with so many clubs keeping tabs on him at the moment. However, if they do manage to strike a deal for the 21-year-old, it would be nothing short of a masterstroke from Rafael Benitez and an absolute bargain for Newcastle.
The Magpies currently lack much depth in their wide options and they are set to lose the services of Robert Kenedy, who is likely to return to his parent club Chelsea upon the expiry of his loan deal. Christian Atsu has been a familiar face at St.James’ Park this season but the Ghanaian has proven himself far too inconsistent to rely upon, while January recruit Miguel Almiron is yet to make a big impact.
Matt Ritchie has been a standout performer down the flanks and the former Bournemouth man has provided much of the creativity with his accurate crossing from the wide areas, though Benitez has been forced to switch him between right wing-back and left wing-back roles due to lack of depth in his options. Recalling Jacob Murphy would be a viable option, but given that he has struggled to make an impact on loan at West Brom, Newcastle need to look at other options to bolster their attack.
Ayoze Perez has been linked with a move away from Tyneside this summer after five seasons at the club (h/t Chronicle), while the Magpies will also have a decision to make on the future of West Brom loanee Salomon Rondon, who has been a key contributor with goals and assists up front.
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Suffice to say, Daniel James would add another dimension to Newcastle’s attack and they should look at him as a good long-term investment with high resale value. With that being said, the Magpies should go all out in their pursuit of the Welsh prodigy this summer.
