Back in September, a report from Sky Sports claimed that Newcastle United had been in talks with Sassuolo over a potential deal for left-back Rogerio ahead of the summer deadline. A fee in the region of £12.5million had been touted but the Brazilian eventually ended up staying put in Italy after negotiations between both clubs failed to reach a positive conclusion.
Rogerio started his footballing education with Internacional in Brazil before moving to Europe with Juventus. The left-back, though, never made a competitive appearance for the Bianconeri and only represented the club across various age-groups. He made his professional breakthrough after joining Sassuolo on loan in 2017. He was retained by the club on loan for the following campaign.
The Brazil U-23 star completed a permanent transfer to Sassuolo at the end of the 2018-19 season and has continued to blossom into a quality young defender in the Serie A. Rogerio has featured 72 times for the Italian club in all competitions so far, registering 2 goals and 3 assists in the process.
Newcastle certainly aren’t crying out for reinforcements at left-back following the acquisition of Jamal Lewis from Norwich City in the summer. The youngster has made a positive impression after moving to Tyneside, starting 9 out of the Magpies’ 10 league fixtures so far this season.
Bruce, though, needs to have some quality alternatives at his disposal to rotate his squad later on in the campaign when the fixtures start to come thick and fast. Utility man Matt Ritchie signed an extension before the start of the season but only started once in the PL before suffering a long-term shoulder injury.
Paul Dummett is yet to make a single appearance for the Magpies this term due to his ongoing struggles with injuries.
Putting things into context, Newcastle should make a renewed attempt to sign Rogerio from Sassuolo when the transfer window reopens in January. It would be a perfect scenario for the Magpies to have two quality young left-backs competing for places in the ranks.
Rogerio’s ability to operate as a full-back and wing-back on the left would hand a real boost to Steve Bruce’s dynamics. The Brazilian has already got considerable experience for a player aged just 22, having made 67 appearances in the Serie A so far. As evident from his heap map last season, the Sassuolo star covers a lot of ground and contributes equally at both ends of the pitch.
Much like Lewis, Rogerio also fits the mould of an exciting young modern-day attacking full-back with plenty of room for growth in the years to come. The Brazilian has proven his credentials in one of the elite leagues in Europe, meaning that Newcastle can certainly afford to look at him as a good long-term investment.
