Newcastle United are yet to really exploit the transfer window but things could get interesting in the coming weeks. Recent reports indicate the Magpies are competing with West Ham United for the signature of free agent Diego Reyes.
Reyes’ contract with Porto expired recently and for his age, he’d be a pretty good signing. The 25-year-old has also been linked with a move to Fenerbahce as well.
Who is Diego Reyes and why do Newcastle United want him?
Newcastle might have a pretty decent first team but the depth is still lacking. Signing a new forward is the priority for the summer considering they scored only 39 goals in 38 games last season. However, signing a good defender is also imperative.
It’s likely that Jamaal Lascelles and Florian Lejeune will be the preferred centre-half pairing for the Tyneside outfit in the upcoming campaign. Chancel Mbemba and Ciaran Clark will provide the depth but the signing of someone like Reyes could add more quality to the squad.
Having moved to Porto from Club America in the year 2013, Reyes struggled to impose himself in the Porto side as he didn’t get enough game time.
Reyes had to move elsewhere to get regular game time and he found that at Real Sociedad. On loan from Porto, he managed to start 26 games in the league and put in consistent performances.
Despite his spell there, Porto were willing to let him go out on loan for another season, this time to Espanyol. Again, Reyes managed to make a good number of appearances, 32.
Last season, he finally broke into the Porto side but didn’t get as much game time as he would have anticipated. Nine starts and three substitute appearances is all he could manage in the league.
Reyes likes playing the ball out from the back and that’s something Newcastle United don’t really have at present, though Lascelles tends to do it from time to time.
He is pretty strong in the air and pretty fast as well. For a free transfer, he’d be a pretty good signing. Newcastle fans won’t be all that pleased though as they want their club to spend and sign quality players instead of feeding on scraps in the transfer market.
So, while the transfer might not be the most high-profile or widely discussed, it looks like a move the Magpies can afford to make providing they do address the more pressing issues in the squad quickly as well.
Stats Courtesy: Squawka