Why Marcos Paulo to Newcastle United would be a good move
According to Gazeta Esportiva (h/t The Yorkshire Post), Newcastle United are interested in signing Marcos Paulo, who plays for Fluminense in Brazil’s Serie A.
The report also suggests that La Liga giants Barcelona and Russian side CSKA Moscow are fighting hard to acquire Paulo’s services.
Paulo, 19, came through Fluminense’s youth ranks and was promoted to the senior squad in January last year. He made his debut for the first-team in the draw against Antofagasta in last season’s Copa Sudamericana first round.
Since then, the teenager has gone on to play 31 games for the Brazilian outfit and has six goals and assists each to his name.
Meanwhile, Newcastle United have not been at their best this season. They have had mixed results so far and are aiming for a respectable finish this season. The Magpies are currently 12th in the league table but have the same points as Arsenal, Burnley, and Southampton.
One of the chief reasons for their dull performance is the lack of goals. Steve Bruce’s men have scored just 24 goals in 25 games, which is not up to the standards of the Premier League, especially as they have 4 natural strikers in their attacking ranks.
Summer signing Joelinton was brought to spearhead their attack but has only 1 goal so far. Whereas, he scored 7 last season for Hoffenheim. Former Crystal Palace man Dwight Gayle is yet to open his goalscoring account and Andy Carroll hasn’t scored for the Magpies either. Japanese striker Yoshinori Moto has featured in 7 games and hasn’t been convincing.
Above all, Bruce did not sign any striker last month while he strengthened the midfield by bringing in Nabil Bentaleb and Valentino Lazaro on loan from Schalke and Inter Milan respectively. Danny Rose also signed for the Magpies on loan.
Therefore, after missing out on bringing in reinforcements to the attacking unit, Bruce must go for the young Marcos Paulo in the summer to add depth to the squad.
The 19-year-old looks to be in good form, having scored 4 times and provided a few assists in the 2019 Serie A campaign. Though nothing much is known of the teenager, Barcelona’s interest in him shows that he could be a quality player and hence, he could be a boost for Newcastle.
Paulo has also made 5 appearances for Portugal’s U19 side and has scored once. The Portuguese youth international is capable of playing anywhere across the front line and this would benefit the manager, who can choose to deploy the player according to the team’s requirements.
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Verdict
Looking at Newcastle’s depth in the attacking unit, it is clear that they are in need of more players who can perform well as a back-up for Joelinton. And the manager should take a chance on Paulo, though he is young.
Therefore, beating off competition from Barcelona and CSKA Moscow should be a priority for Newcastle and they must sign the young talent.
