da 888： Newcastle United enjoyed an incredible season under Eddie Howe's tutelage and returned to Champions League qualification with a top-four finish, and have now identified Chelsea's Marc Cucurella for transfer.
What's the latest on Marc Cucurella to Newcastle?
da realsbet： According to the Mirror, Magpies technical director Dan Ashworth has added the Spanish full-back to the club's list of transfer targets after signing Cucurella while the pair for €18m (£15m) were both at Brighton & Hove Albion.
Having completed a stunning season with the Seagulls, the 24-year-old was signed by Chelsea for a mouth-watering £63m last summer, but after an uninspiring year Newcastle could look to provide him with a fresh start on English soil.
The Magpies have been in fine fettle indeed, but with the introduction of European football, the depth of the club will need to expand, and Cucurella could be the perfect choice to enrich the left flank, especially given that the Blues are considering a cut-price sale of just £30m.
How would Marc Cucurella perform at Newcastle?
Despite failing to produce the desired results at Chelsea, Newcastle could reignite a player who demonstrated he is Premier League quality and then some on the south coast.
Recording an average rating of 7.11 (Sofascore) with Albion over the 21/22 campaign, Cucurella completed 82% of his passes, averaging 1.2 key passes, 2.7 tackles and 1.9 clearances per game, also winning 61% of his ground duels, hailed for his "brilliant" performances by former teammate Leandro Trossard.
The disparity to his time at Stamford Bridge could not be greater, branded a "defensive liability" by journalist Okon Nya and at the core of the west London outfit's woes as they finished 12th.
However, provided a license to flourish at St. James' Park, Cucurella could return to the top of his game and leave observers waxing lyrical in their throngs once again.
Linking back up with his former teammate Dan Burn, who completed a £13m move from Brighton to Tyneside in January 2022, the £175k-per-week Chelsea ace could snatch the defensive left flank from the 31-year-old, cementing a starting berth for the most pivotal of encounters next season.
A centre-half by trade, Burn played 39 times at left-back this year after impressing in the makeshift role, with the 6 foot 5 colossus being heralded as "solid as a rock and immense" by journalist Aaron Stokes, but his stagnancy in transition is undoubtedly a weakness and the variation that Cucurella would bring is an enticing thought, with Burn having been 'dragged all over the place' on occasion, according to journalist Jude Summerfield.
As Newcastle progress and creep closer toward the forefront of European football, Cucurella's progressive presence could lead to him taking the baton and transcending Burn's performances in the team, proving to be the ultimate attacking heir down the left-hand side.
And given that the former Barcelona youngster can also play as a central defender, he could offer the dynamic assurance to win Howe over and play a pivotal role in a thriving Premier League outfit once again.