Jonjo Shelvey needs more help in the middle of the park and Taulant Xhaka can provide that much-needed assistance.
Newcastle United need to do some player shopping in January, but a positional need that is not talked about as much as it should be is in central midfield. Newcastle have some depth in central midfield with Jonjo Shelvey, Mohamed Diame, Ki Sung-yueng and Isaac Hayden, however, the Magpies lack sufficient quality.
Jonjo Shelvey is the most talented player on the roster and his superior passing skills enable him to influence a match at any given moment. The problem, however, is that Shelvey needs more quality by his side. Diame has been a decent teammate, but age is catching up to the Senegalese midfielder. With that being said, Newcastle would be wise to pursue Taulant Xhaka, the brother of Arsenal’s Granit Xhaka, during the January transfer window.
Taulant Xhaka
Taulant Xhaka has a famous last name due to his brother’s career, but Xhaka is often left in the shadows of Arsenal’s midfielder. Xhaka currently plays his football for FC Basel in Switzerland and he also represents Albania at the international level.
The 27-year-old midfielder has made over 140 appearances for the Swiss giants and is one of their most reliable players. Taulant, like his brother Granit, is known for playing aggressive football in the middle of the pitch and he is always determined to win duels. Xhaka also possesses great vision and spreads the ball around to his teammates with high accuracy.
Another key trait that Xhaka would bring to Newcastle is his experience playing in the UEFA Champions League. The Albanian international midfielder has competed in the tournament multiple times and he knows what it takes to be competitive against the elite teams of Europe. Rafa Benitez needs someone who can consolidate their skills and football intelligence to pair that individual up with Shelvey in the middle.
Having two quality midfielders who are still young, play aggressive football and are superior passers would significantly aid Newcastle in their endeavor of avoiding relegation. More importantly, the asking price for Xhaka is much lower than what Arsenal paid for his younger brother. Taulant Xhaka is currently valued at a mere €3 million and he would be a major steal for the Magpies.
It would take Xhaka some time to adjust to the style of play in England, but the defensive midfielder has sufficient skills to play in the Premier League. Like Martin Dubravka, signing Xhaka would be risky since he is not well-known, but he is a risk that Newcastle can afford to take.