Newcastle’s quality in defense bodes well for investment strategy

Newcastle United need to invest heavily in attack, and the Magpies’ quality on the back-line allows them to do just that.

Newcastle United are the hottest topic in the world of football at the moment. Mainstream media outlets and popular social media accounts related to football are having a blast with all the transfer rumors surrounding Newcastle United.

The Premier League is still reviewing the submitted paperwork for this takeover, but the parties involved are confident the deal will be approved. Fans are impatiently waiting for Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Amanda Staveley and the Reuben brothers to be handed the keys to St. James’ Park.

The main reason for this excitement is that fans want to see more investment and ambition in the club. The would-be owners of Newcastle United have bottomless pockets, but Financial Fair Play rules will limit how much money can be spent on transfers. This means the new owners must be innovative from the start as they search for new revenue streams that would, in turn, increase the transfer budget to avoid being punished like Manchester City were earlier this season.

One thing that will tremendously aid how the new owners spend money in the transfer window is the overall quality of the back-line. Newcastle United have one of the best back-lines for teams outside the top six in the Premier League.

With players like Jamaal Lascelles, Fabian Schar, Federico Fernandez, Ciaran Clark and Florian Lejeune, the new owners do not have to worry about spending money at the center-back position, which is an expensive position in today’s market.

That being said, spending on defenders will still be necessary, primarily at the wing-back position if the options to buy Jetro Willems and Danny Rose are not picked up, and if Javier Manquillo leaves the club as a free agent. Overall, Newcastle United’s soon-to-be new front office is fortunate that they do not have to spend heavily in defense.

Instead, they can focus their attention on improving the quality in midfield and at the striker position. The four strikers currently in the squad have only combined to score one goal this season, which is unacceptable. Providing the front-line with an extreme makeover will be the primary objective this summer, and the stability in defense should lead to more available funds for attacking players.

So far, Newcastle United have been linked to players like Dries Mertens, Willian and Edinson Cavani. It will be interesting to see how things play out this summer, but at least fans know their new owners have sufficient funds to get some proven finishers in the squad.