Who is Yoshinori Muto? All you need to know about Newcastle’s new signing

According to BBC, Yoshinori Muto has signed for Newcastle United. The player is awaiting a work permit but he has become the Magpies’ fifth summer signing, following the arrivals of Schar, Ki, Kenedy and goalkeeper Dubravka. This summer, a commitment impasse between owner Mike Ashley and manager Rafa Benitez had threatened to derail the club’s transfer plans. Now, the Toon Army can collectively breathe a sigh of relief.

The 26-year-old striker netted eight times for Mainz last season, helping the side avoid relegation from the Bundesliga. His performances earned him a call-up to Japan’s World Cup squad in Russia. However, the Tokyo-born player only managed a single appearance, a 1-0 Group H defeat by Poland. One can’t blame him though as even experienced duo Shinji Okazaki of Leicester City and Keisuke Honda of AC Milan struggled to make an impact for Japan, clocking fewer minutes than Muto.

Muto scored 20 goals and provided 10 assists in 66 Bundesliga games across three seasons. The versatile forward can play across the forward line. Although he mainly plays as a centre-forward, Muto can play as a right or a left winger. Last season, he made 27 Bundesliga appearances, which includes 20 starts and 7 cameos.

Rafa Benitez was in dire need of adding more firepower to his attacking options. The Magpies scored 39 goals last season, the second least of any side in the top 14, only three more than Burnley, who scored 36 goals. With Muto entering the last year of his contract, the Germans have cashed in on the player. He must now reward the Spaniard’s faith in him.

Muto could either play as a secondary striker for Newcastle or lead the attack alongside Dwight Gayle with support from the likes of Jonjo Shelvey, Ayoze Perez, Ki Sung-Yueng, Christian Atsu and Matt Ritchie in the midfield.

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The Japanese star will be a handful for defenders and he will be vital for the Magpies to improve on their tenth-place finish from last season. To challenge for European football qualification spots under Benitez, Newcastle will need Muto to quickly adapt to the Premier League.