Eddie Howe will undoubtedly be pleased with where Newcastle United has placed itself after just a year since his arrival at St. James’ Park given the team’s incredible start to the Premier League season.
Prior to their return to action on Boxing Day against Leicester City, the Magpies are currently third in the league standings after 15 games.
Even the most upbeat Newcastle fan could not have predicted how quickly the team has improved and moved up the standings after being stuck at the bottom of the list at this time last year.
Now the former AFC Bournemouth boss will take on the challenge of retaining Newcastle’s top-four spot and securing Champions League football over the second half of the season.
As a result, adding depth to the squad could be a wise move for Howe when the transfer market reopens next month as bolstering key areas of the pitch could boost Newcastle’s chances of competing on all fronts.
The North East club qualified for the quarter-finals of the Carabao Cup earlier this week and remains in the FA Cup too, so bringing in some new players in January could help Howe rotate his team whilst maintaining the quality on the pitch.
One player who has been linked with a move to St James’ Park is Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and the Napoli winger could be just what the team needs to retain their successful run.
Over 12 Serie A appearances so far this season, Kvaratskhelia has scored six goals, registered five assists, and created eight big chances, as well as averaging 2.8 shots per game, 1.9 key passes, 1.6 successful dribbles, and 4.4 duels won per game.
The Georgia sensation – who was dubbed “cheeky” by Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp – ranks in the top 11% of his positional peers across the top five European leagues for non-penalty goals, shots in total, assists, and shot-creating actions, proving that he could be a huge prospect for Newcastle in the attacking threat.
Howe could even land his own Bukayo Saka with the signing of the 21-year-old talent as the Arsenal star is named as one of the most comparable players to Kvaratskhelia over the last 12 months, according to FBRef.
The two wide forwards have produced similar numbers thus far this season in terms of goals scored (11 vs. 10), passes completed (77.3% vs. 78.3%), shots created (58 vs. 57), and goals created per 90 minutes (1.14 v 1.00).
Having said that, Newcastle would do well to sign Kvaratskhelia, who is valued at an eye-popping €100 million (£88 million), if they want to continue to rule the Premier League for the remainder of the season.
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