Newcastle United eyeing a swoop for Serie A defensive rock: The boost Benitez needs?

When Newcastle United returned to the Premier League last season, very few people had placed a bet on them extending their top-flight status. However, some astute management by Rafa Benitez ensured that the club finished in a very respectable tenth position. Rafa made the most of the limited resources that he had at his disposal.

Now, with teams like Stoke City and West Brom suffering the drop this season, it has become clear that any club needs to show intent in the transfer market to ensure that their stay in the Premier League remains intact.

Hence, Newcastle are looking to add more defensive solidity to their roster and reports of late have linked Sassuolo defender Marco Ferrari to Newcastle United. It is understood that the team will look to add more defensive options in the squad and here we examine whether this might be the correct move currently.

Ferrari: Player Profile

Marco comes around as a typical Italian defender, someone who focuses on defending rather than starting offensive moves from the back. He is strong and holds to his position well. His positioning helps him to restore the possession of the ball sometimes and accordingly thwarts the opposition’s attacking danger well.

Ferrari relies on his strong physique to outmuscle the opposition forward and blocks the ball at the correct time. He recorded a passing accuracy of 88.3% last season, but the majority of them were short passes rather than incisive ones.

He made 4.8 clearances on an average last season, clearly displaying the stronger attribute of his style of play. In 30 matches, he even scored two goals but his role was largely defensive, focusing on clearing the opposition’s attacking threat in a rather old school way.

Should Newcastle make a move?

Rafa prefers to maintain a very narrow structure to his defensive and midfield lines. He wants his teams to close down spaces and be tactically aware. Newcastle have a very talented player as well as a leader in Jamaal Lascelles right now. He has had a breakthrough season this time around and hence it is only understandable that the bigger clubs might keep an eye on him.

Even if Lascelles stays, a move for Ferrari would be beneficial for Newcastle. The Italian is strong, bullish and has an old English defensive trait and flair in his game. He will not find the adaptation difficult and hence could suit Newcastle team pretty well. A move this summer could well be in the cards.