Why Bournemouth should plot a swoop for Hibernian star Joe Newell
According to claims from football website The 72 (h/t The Scotsman), Bournemouth have been touted to make a move for Hibernian midfielder Joe Newell when the market reopens in January. The 27-year-old’s contract at the Edinburg outfit expires next summer.
Profile
Joe Newell started his footballing education at Birmingham City and completed his development at Peterborough United before making his professional debut for the latter. He represented the Posh in the Championship and League One, racking up 109 appearances over five seasons at the club.
Newell made the switch to Rotherham United in 2015 and went on to spend four successful seasons with the Millers, amassing an impressive tally of 15 goals and 23 assists in 150 appearances. The versatile midfielder moved north of the border to join Hibernian 2019 and has since been a regular starter for the Scottish Premiership outfit.
The 27-year-old featured 25 times in all competitions for Hibs last term before the Covid-19 outbreak brought a premature end to the campaign. Newell has contributed greatly to Hibernian’s flying start to the 2020-21 campaign, registering a goal and 4 assists in 20 appearances so far.
Newell would add more spark to the Cherries’ midfield
Bournemouth aren’t really crying out for midfield reinforcements heading into the January window. Jason Tindall has rotated the likes of Jefferson Lerma, Philip Billing and Lewis Cook to good effect in the middle of the park with veteran Dan Gosling also enjoying a fair bit of game time in the Championship this season.
However, with Gosling (30) and academy starlet Nmamdi Ofoborh both nearing the end of their current deals at the end of the season, the Cherries should be open the prospect of freshening up their midfield reserves. To that end, the potential availability of Joe Newell on a free transfer next summer presents an excellent market opportunity for Bournemouth to capitalise.
Newell ticks the box as a tried and tested performer in the EFL Championship, having made close to 150 career appearances for Peterborough and Rotherham in the English second-tier. Furthermore, a potential deal for the 27-year-old would hand a significant boost to the Cherries’ squad dynamics, given his versatility to operate in multiple positions.
The Hibernian star has found plenty of success as a left-sided midfielder in his career while also featuring regularly as a box-to-box enforcer through the middle.
Newell’s impressive track record of goals and assists would certainly improve the quality of Bournemouth’s supply lines. With Billing and Lerma predominantly defensive-minded players, Newell’s presence would offer something different to the club’s existing options.
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Verdict
Suffice to say, Joe Newell would be an excellent addition to Bournemouth’s midfield for a number of reasons even if they manage to secure a return to the top-flight.
The Cherries would have a chance of snapping him up for a knockdown fee in January while negotiating a pre-contract agreement would see the midfielder join the ranks on a free transfer next summer.
Newell still potentially has his best years ahead of him at 27 and Bournemouth offering him a return to English football could be an excellent bit of business.
