Newcastle might sign a “monster” for £26 million who is better than Dragusin

Newcastle United are on a dismal run of form ever since the beginning of December. That 1-0 victory over Manchester United on the 2nd of the month seems like a distant memory now, with the Magpies having since suffered seven defeats in eight games.

What will worry Eddie Howe more is his side’s defensive record. Newcastle have already conceded just four fewer goals in the 2023/24 campaign than the whole of last term.

With the January transfer window now open, the Geordie outfit may need to sign some reinforcements at the back to stop the rot and Howe has already started compiling his list of targets.

Newcastle United transfer news – Jonathan Tah

According to a report from Football Transfers at the end of last month, Newcastle United are eyeing up a move for Bayer Leverkusen’s star defender Jonathan Tah this month. The outlet are claiming that, while the Magpies may be under Financial Fair Play constraints this winter, the club see Tah as an affordable option.

It has been widely reported that the Germany international has a £15.5m release clause in his contract but this expired back in July. Nevertheless, the 27-year-old’s market value is merely £26m, as per the CIES Football Observatory, so Tah could still be in Newcastle’s price range.

There has been talk that the English club are also keeping tabs on Genoa’s Radu Dragusin, with the Italian club holding out for £26m, although it is believed that Spurs will come out on top in the race for the Romanian central defender. Tah could prove to be a greater alternative.

Jonathan Tah’s stats this season

Leverkusen are making an unprecedented push for the Bundesliga title, having never won the competition in the club’s history. Under the guidance of Spanish legend Xabi Alonso, Die Werkself are top of the league by four points. Tah has been instrumental to Leverkusen’s success thus far, having made 23 appearances in all competitions, while starting 15 of the side’s 16 league outings.

The German’s quality has been evident for some time. Five years ago, football agent Craig Honeyman described Tah as “an absolute monster” and admitted that the central defender would walk into any Premier League team. Now could finally be the right time for Tah to make the jump to England’s top flight, having spent the past decade in the Bundesliga.

Newcastle seems like a great fit for Tah. Both club captain Jamaal Lascelles and Fabian Schar are on the wrong side of 30 and will need replacing in the near future, meaning there is a hole next to £35m signing Sven Botman in the backline that may need to be filled. Dragusin could be a good option for Howe’s side but, statistically, Tah has been outperforming him, Lascelles, and Schar this season and could easily be Newcastle’s best right-sided centre-half.

In possession, transfer target Dragusin and Newcastle pair Lascelles and Schar don’t come close to Tah’s quality. Out of possession, the trio are comparable to Leverkusen’s star defender but this can put be down to Alonso’s side averaging 60.7% of the ball per game.