Newcastle United have rode the crest of a wave over the past month, crafting a seven-game winning run that has propelled them into fifth place in the Premier League.
An emphatic 2-0 win at the Emirates on Tuesday evening has also put Eddie Howe’s side in command of their Carabao Cup semi-final tie. Arsenal are a great team but will need to claim a two-goal victory at St. James’ Park just to take the fixture to a penalty shootout.
Magpies fans are on the fringes of dreamland right now but know that football’s ebb and flow could pull their team back from the ascendency if opportunities aren’t grasped this month.
Alexander Isak has scored 14 goals from 15 games and is “the best striker in the Premier League right now,” according to pundit Jamie Carragher, but he needs more support, and Newcastle need to act.
Newcastle eyeing January signing
Anthony Gordon and Jacob Murphy have been excellent recently, and while the former is one of the prized wingers in the Premier League, his right-flanking peer is prone to choppy form and, at 29, needs competition.
Well, according to The i Paper, Newcastle are still monitoring Bournemouth winger Antoine Semenyo as sporting director Paul Mitchell weighs up a winter bid.
The Cherries hardly want to sell their deadliest attacking outlet and have priced him at £50m, but Newcastle need one more piece to complement their rich frontline and perhaps make Isak even better – imagine that.
Imagine Antoine Semenyo & Alexander Isak
Bournemouth signed Semenyo from Bristol City for a £10m fee in January 2023 and he has gone from strength to strength over the past two years, becoming a “key player” – as The Athletic’s Jacob Tanswell has said – in Andoni Iraola’s thriving system.
Hailed as “almost unplayable on his day” by reporter Ed Aarons, Semenyo has been one of the main men at the Vitality Stadium this season, posting seven goal contributions from 21 Premier League matches as Bournemouth exceed expectations, currently nestled in seventh place, above Manchester City.
Murphy has been in fine fettle this term but Semenyo carries more technical quality and forward drive in the final third, ranking among the top 1% of attacking midfielders and wingers in the Premier League this year for shots taken (4.24) per 90, as per FBref.
It could be just what Isak needs, for the Sweden star is much more than a simple goalscorer, perhaps the most complete forward in England.
Matches (starts)
19 (19)
17 (13)
Goals
5
3
Assists
2
7
Shots (on target)*
4.1 (1.2)
1.3 (0.4)
Pass completion
77%
77%
Big chances created
7
9
Key passes*
1.2
1.3
Dribbles (completed)*
2.2 (58%)
0.5 (35%)
Ball recoveries*
5.3
2.4
Total duels (won)*
6.8 (45%)
1.6 (33%)
Semenyo and Isak are both 25 and thus could forge a lasting partnership at St. James’ Park, with the electric Anthony Gordon younger still at 23.
Isak has of course been incredible this season, striking at a devastating rate over the past few months and beating Mohamed Salah to the Premier League Player of the Month award for December.
Newcastle’s talisman is perhaps not quite so devastating in front of goal as Manchester City’s Erling Haaland, for example, but he definitely brings more to the table.
As per FBref, the £120k-per-week ace ranks among the top 12% of Premier League forwards in 2024/25 for assists (0.25), the top 8% for shot-creating actions (3.69) and the top 5% for successful take-ons (1.60) per 90, showcasing skills that make him the protean, slippery customer that he is.
Moreover, Isak has created seven big chances and averaged 1.7 key passes per top-flight fixture this season, as per Sofascore, also in the thick of the action with 34.8 touches on average, which is high for a centre-forward.
He drops deep, influences play and pushes forward with lightning-fast speed to create a sense of synergy that most teams can only dream of – usually after the Magpies have blown them away.
Given that Semenyo is a goalscoring winger who fires fusillade upon fusillade of barrages on his enemies, this could be the kind of dynamic duo that Howe loves – just take a look at how it’s working out with Gordon on the alternate wing.
1.
Alexander Isak
7
2.
Dominic Solanke
6
3.
Raul Jimenez
5
4.
Michail Antonio
4
4=
Nicolas Jackson
4
4=
Jean-Philippe Mateta
4
4=
Ollie Watkins
4
4=
Jamie Vardy
4
This hasn’t been sustained throughout the campaign; Newcastle toiled through the early knockings. However, Howe’s tactical nous has presented itself once again, with the interpersonal skills to get the whole squad on board showcased too.
Murphy is industrious and talented in his own right, but Semenyo would bring something different that could work wonders as Newcastle chart a course back into European competition next season.
It’s a move that Newcastle need to make. While £50m is a massive sum, Newcastle are prepared to spend big in order to achieve their goals. Further to that point, right-winger Miguel Almiron is expected to be sold either this month or at the end of the season, easing PSR-related concerns and freeing up space in, look at that, Semenyo’s realm.
Will Newcastle get the deal done? Analyst Ben Mattinson described Semenyo as the “perfect January signing” for any top team, when discussing Arsenal’s intrigue in the Bournemouth man, but Newcastle have already stabbed a blow into the Gunners’ season on the pitch and could translate their trick in the market this month.
Their own Vini Jr: Newcastle chasing £34m ace who'd be unplayable with Isak
Newcastle could look to enhance their exciting frontline this year.
ByAngus Sinclair
