Franck Kessie in action for AC Milan (Getty Images)
As per MilanLive (h/t Birmingham Live), Newcastle are interested in signing AC Milan midfielder Franck Kessie in the summer.
Kessie, 23, joined Atalanta’s U19 side from Stella Club d’Adjame but couldn’t make the cut into the former club’s senior set-up. He was sent on loan to Cesena before joining AC Milan in the summer of 2017.
Since then, he has been a regular member of the squad and has been impressive for the Italian giants despite their bad run of form in the past few years. The report also suggests that Premier League clubs like Wolves, West Ham and Arsenal are also interested in signing him.
The Magpies, meanwhile, have not made progress despite a good start to the campaign. They have lacked consistency throughout the league and have stooped to the low. Newcastle United are currently in the 13th position after just 2 wins in their last 11 league games.
Steve Bruce had the opportunity to bring in reinforcements last January but he managed to make only loan signings for Nabil Bentaleb, Valentino Lazaro and Danny Rose. They have been outshined in the league by club’s lower to them in position.
One of the major reasons for their lacklustre performance is the lack of end product. The strikers have failed miserably, scoring just 25 goals so far, which is the joint-lowest record in the league. And most of the goals have come from other areas of the pitch. Jonjo Shelvey is their highest scorer with 5 goals.
One key area which Bruce should focus on strengthening is the midfield. Shelvey, Sean Longstaff and Matt Ritchie are the only three attack-minded midfielders in their ranks. Bentaleb and Lazaro are on loan and there is no surety of their stay beyond the summer.
While Shelvey has managed to do his best, none of the other midfielders have supported well. They have not been up to the mark and as a result, the team has failed collectively. Thus, it is necessary to bring in midfielders to the squad.
In that regard, signing AC Milan’s Kessie would do them a world of good. The Ivorian has adopted himself to become a box-to-box midfielder in the past few years and has been in good nick for the Italian giants. In his first season at San Siro, he managed to score 5 goals despite featuring in a deeper role for the majority of the campaign.
The Ivorian finished last season with 7 goals and 3 assists and has improved a lot in recent times. He is a goalscoring midfielder and his inclusion to the Magpies squad would be a massive boost. He could be a crucial player under Bruce next season if he is able to replicate the good form.
The Ivorian is just 23 and has already played at the highest level. He is capable of changing the team’s game and his inclusion would also bring healthy competition to the squad. And the Magpies are in dire need of midfielders given their lack of quality and depth. Thus, they should make a move for Kessie this summer and lure him to St. James’ Park.
