Jurgen Locadia would be a great addition for Newcastle in January
According to the Sun, Brighton and Hove Albion forward Jurgen Locadia has expressed his frustration over his lack of play time in the Premier League.
The same report claims that manager Chris Hughton has given no logical explanation behind his reluctance to use the Dutchman and the 25-year-old wants a move away from the club in January after his transfer request was turned down by the Seagulls earlier in the summer.
A product of PSV Eindhoven’s youth system, Locadia’s impressive form in the Eredivisie caught the eye of manager Chris Hughton and the Seagulls splashed a club-record £14 million to secure his services last season in January.
He was handed three starts in the final stages of the Premier League last season and impressed with a goal and an assist but has been frozen out of the first team scheme of things by Hughton this term.
Locadia has made only a single start in the Premier League this season, playing a total of 209 minutes across eight appearances. Quite clearly, the manager hasn’t been able to accommodate him in his first-team plans.
Meanwhile, Newcastle seem to have breathed some life into their faltering Premier League campaign with back-to-back victories over Watford and Bournemouth in recent weeks. Rafael Benitez’s men have climbed out of the relegation zone up to 14th in the league standings but the Magpies still have a long way to go in the season.
In other words, Newcastle are in dire need of attackers to bolster their options up front and Brighton’s Jurgen Locadia would be an ideal choice for relegation contenders.
Given that the Dutchman has hardly been given a consistent run in the first-team at Brighton, it would be harsh to label him as a Premier League flop. Instead, Newcastle should take his heroics at PSV Eindhoven into account.
Locadia is a tactically versatile attacker who is capable of operating as a winger down the left and also as a lone centre-forward. Blessed with good pace and technique, he backs himself to take on the defenders single-handedly with his agility and athleticism. Operating as a centre-forward, Locadia can cause a lot of headaches for the defenders with his mobility and shooting.
The 25-year-old has a good eye for goal from outside the penalty box and does not hesitate to put his foot through the ball, something that should prompt Newcastle all the more to make a move for him in January.
When deployed as a winger on the left, the Dutchman likes to cut inside and works the channels in the final third to pick out the runs of his teammates. To be honest, he resembles someone like Xherdan Shaqiri in his style of play. Locadia averaged 4.4 shots and 1.5 key passes during the 2017-18 season at Eindhoven.
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Matt Ritchie and Robert Kenedy have done a decent job for the Magpies so far this season but Yoshinori Muto and Ayoze Perez have been largely disappointing. Christian Atsu, on the other hand, has struggled to make an impact off the bench.
As things stand, a move to St. James’ Park would be a win-win situation for all parties involved. That said, Newcastle should not hesitate to table a bid to land Brighton’s multifaceted forward in January.
