Newcastle’s reported top target could be Joelinton 2.0
Patrik Schick is rumored to be Newcastle United’s top target and he is far from a sure thing to produce in the Premier League.
They say the definition of insanity is doing the same thing twice and expecting different results. For Newcastle United, they could be going down that path with their reported top target ahead of the 2020/21 season.
Player A
24 years old, 6’2”
Best season: 10 goals, two assists in 22 Bundesliga matches (2019/20)
Best previous season: 2016/17 with 13 goals and four assists.
Player B
24 years old, 6’1”
Best season: Seven goals, seven assists in 28 Bundesliga matches (2018/19)
Best previous season: 2016/17 with 13 goals and seven assists
Pretty similar numbers for these two players, right? Neither has really proven themselves in seasons outside of those two, with Player B actually having the better third-best season of the two. Player A is Newcastle United’s reported top target, Roma striker Patrik Schick. And Player B? Joelinton, who flopped after a record move last summer.
Is Schick the exact same player as Joelinton? Of course not. But, their resumes are very similar and their play style isn’t drastically different either. Both players like to drift away from the center of the attack and prefer to drive at defenders with the ball at their feet rather than play with their back to goal, holding up play.
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This is not to say that Schick is destined for the same fate early in his Newcastle career if the Magpies beat Bayer Leverkusen to his signature. But, it should give Newcastle United and the supporters some pause as they’d be adding a player with a similar resume and playing style for a huge chunk of their transfer budget for the second straight season.