It wasn’t long ago that those of a Newcastle United persuasion were itching for something to happen in the summer transfer market, and rightly so at that.
Well, plotlines have been gathering apace on Tyneside over the past several weeks, but maybe not in the manner which the club or indeed the fanbase had anticipated.
Newcastle have missed out on a range of their top targets, and while Eddie Howe has welcomed Anthony Elanga to his squad for a £55m fee, it’s clear that much needs to happen over the coming weeks, with the Premier League campaign looming large.
With Alexander Isak brooding in the background and defensive targets such as Marc Guehi and Malick Thiaw appearing priorities for the Magpies, it’s easy to forget that Howe wants a new central midfielder, but that too remains one of the club’s most important transfer objectives.
Newcastle plan to sign central midfielder
Last month, Newcastle sold homegrown midfielder Sean Longstaff to newly-promoted Leeds United in a deal worth £12m. Longstaff, 27, played a bit-part role fro his boyhood club and only started eight Premier League matches last term, the last of which came a week into December.
More depth is needed in the engine room, though, and Aston Villa’s John McGinn has been earmarked as an alternative. Everton have already seen a bid knocked back this summer, and Unai Emery doesn’t want to part with his captain.
In which case, United might turn to Ajax talent Kenneth Taylor, with NUFCBlog revealing inside information that confirms Taylor has been added to the shortlist.
The 23-year-old Ajax midfielder has been valued at £25m, and was also the subject of a formal offer from Portuguese giants Porto last month.
Why Newcastle want Kenneth Taylor
Ajax left something to be desired in the Dutch Eredivisie last season, but Taylor confirmed the strength of the club’s revered academy once more, claiming the Player of the Season award after winning the Marco van Basten award the year prior, acknowledging the outfit’s most exciting up-and-coming talent.
Having graduated from the youth ranks and made his first team debut back in 2020 as an 18-year-old, Taylor has only gone from strength to strength over the past four years as a senior in his homeland, having made 165 appearances in total and earned his first five caps for the Netherlands.
Last term, though, he truly came into his own, scoring 15 goals and providing eight assists for his teammates across 52 matches in all competitions, operating across the different areas of midfield.
Though McGinn would add some industriousness, energy and spirit to Howe’s project, Taylor’s Dutch verve and hunger to impress at the highest level could make him the perfect alternative, perhaps even a better signing, bringing a sharp potency in front of goal that might be needed, should the matchless Isak be playing in different colours over the looming campaign.
Matches (starts)
33 (29)
34 (27)
Goals
9
1
Assists
6
4
Touches*
46.1
34.9
Pass completion
83%
87%
Big chances created
7
6
Key passes*
1.1
0.9
Dribbles*
0.4
0.6
Ball recoveries*
2.5
2.9
Tackles + interceptions*
1.6
1.4
Duels won*
3.5
4.1
As you can likely draw from the table above, Taylor is more of an able force in the final third than McGinn, placing an emphasis on pushing into dangerous positions and striking on goal.
Moreover, Taylor finished the 2024/25 campaign ranked among the top 1% of midfielders across Europe for goals scored, the top 7% for through balls and the top 2% for goal-creating actions, with his energetic and forward-moving style leading data-driven site FBref to liken him to Newcastle’s Joelinton.
This exciting mix of strong athleticism and creativity is exactly what Newcastle need to complete their set in the middle of the park.
Though McGinn has a wealth of Premier League experience and is a natural-born leader, Howe has carefully wrought a dynamic and hardy engine room that could do with a touch of youthful exuberance to complement the commanding Bruno Guimaraes, the elegant Sandro Tonali, and, indeed, Joelinton’s raging intensity.
McGinn would be a credit to Newcastle’s team, to be sure, but it’s unlikely that he would nail down a starting berth from the outset, given the strength of the Magpies’ existing options.
Further, the 30-year-old earns £120k per week at Villa Park, and whether the Newcastle chiefs would feel it a prudent move to make a bid for such a player when they would play a utility and squad-rousing role is a pertinent question, especially as the Lions would expect to bank a figure in excess of £30m for their stalwart.
Taylor, however, would be content with joining the club and absorbing the fruits of his impressive midfield peers’ craft. He’s only 23 years old after all, and has plenty of mountainous heights left to scale before reaching the level that his skill set suggests is attainable.
While Howe will be determined to address the more prominent points of concern at St. James’ Park, signing a defender and a goalscoring forward, he will also be aware that the new campaign will bring the added expectation and intensity of a return to the Champions League.
With Longstaff gone, a player of Taylor’s playmaking and progressive quality could prove a certain success for the long-term stability of Howe’s project.
McGinn, of course, would be a shrewd and impactful signing, but in five year’s time, Taylor could be among the finest midfielders across the continent, whereas the Scotland international will be staring at his career twilight.
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