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It’s no secret that Fabian Schar has been a key squad member since Eddie Howe took charge in October 2021. The 32-year-old, 86 capped Swiss has played 161 games for United, scoring 14 goals, has a penchant for breaking out of defence and spraying balls across the park and has been responsible for some outstanding moments during Howe’s tenure – the fourth goal against PSG being a particular highlight.
Yet, with only 12 months remaining on his contract, and Fab approaching the twilight of his career, a younger player in a similar mould is being lined up to give the team more options at centre back, especially with Sven Botman and Jamal Lascelles likely to be out until 2025 via injury.
An exciting rumour saw Antonio Silva linked with a £40 million move via the Portuguese media just last week. The Portuguese international is rated as a £100 million defender by some in his native land and he has made 60 appearances for Benfica in his two seasons as a regular starter, winning the Portuguese Primera Liga and the Super Cup.
Silva is strong in the tackle and reads the game incredibly well, and Benfica racked up 2.33 points per game when he played last season. Hailing from the same academy as Manchester City’s Ruben Dias and having made two appearances at the Euros before Portugal’s elimination, Silva could be seen as the right-sided centre back to martial the Newcastle backline for the next ten years, although a deal for the 20-year-old would be very difficult to pull off without European football on offer, with a host of Champions League clubs said to be interested.
The persistent summer window rumour has been Milan’s Malick Thiaw, a 6’ 3”, 22-year-old German who cost the Rossoneri €8 million in August 2022, not long after Newcastle had signed Botman ahead of them.
Since then, Thiaw has made 41 appearances for the seven-times Champions League Winners, although mixed performances meant he couldn’t nail down a regular starting position until…
Source link : https://www.nufcblog.co.uk/2024/07/17/newcastles-search-for-fabian-schars-long-term-replacement/
Author : Jonathan Young
Publish date : 2024-07-17 18:44:50
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