Out of the Champions League and Europe altogether, out of the Carabao Cup on penalties after a late Chelsea equaliser and two defeats in their last three Premier League games, Newcastle United can be forgiven if they're not exactly in the mood for festivities this year. The Magpies have seen their momentum come to a crashing halt under Eddie Howe and must now look to the January transfer window to make some much-needed improvements if they want to compete for a place in the top four this season.
With that said, reports suggest that those at St James' Park are now in pole position to land one particular gem when the winter window swings open, in what would be a timely boost for Howe.
Newcastle transfer news
Whilst Newcastle couldn't anticipate the amount of injury problems that they've had throughout the current campaign, their summer transfer window wasn't exactly one that was full of preparation. The Magpies failed to sign a central defender, despite having just three senior options not including Dan Burn, before welcoming Sandro Tonali, who is now banned for 10 months after breaching betting rules, and Harvey Barnes, who remains on the sidelines with injury. Discovering the consequences of lacking squad depth, PIF must now rectify things in January.
According to La Gazzetta dello Sport, Newcastle are leading the race to sign Juventus gem Matias Soule in January alongside Crystal Palace. The Argentine is reportedly valued at €25m (£22m) and could now see his loan move at Frosinone cut short in favour of a Premier League switch. At just 20-years-old, Soule certainly has plenty of potential and with Juventus looking to raise funds, Newcastle could come swooping in. When the winter window swings open, the right winger could certainly be one to keep an eye on.
"Impressive" Soule would be an upgrade on Almiron
Whilst Soule is still only 20-year-old, he is already showing signs that he is more than capable of stepping up for a top side, which could see Newcastle turn to him amid Miguel Almiron's struggles. The current Magpies winger has scored just three goals in 17 Premier League appearances this season in what sums up Newcastle's missing spark throughout the current campaign. It must be said, however, that Soule can add that spark. Here's how Soule's stats compare to Almiron's this season.
Player
Goals
Assists
Progressive Passes
Successful Take-ons
Matias Soule
6
1
95
61
Miguel Almiron
3
1
57
13
On the ball, the stats suggest that Soule is far more progressive than Almiron, who has struggled when completing take-ons compared to the Argentine, whose numbers are incredibly impressive.
It's no surprise that the Juventus loanee has attracted plenty of praise from Football Talent Scout Jacek Kulig, who posted on X: "In addition this his superb dribbling skills and very solid G/A numbers Matías Soulé also impresses with his passing game. Among U21s, only Florian Wirtz (19) & Xavi Simons (16) have more smart passes in Europe's top 5 leagues 23/24 than Soulé (12). A very impressive season by the 20-year-old Juve loanee so far!"