Why Newcastle United signing Enis Bardhi would be a smart move
According to the Daily Mail, Newcastle United have been credited with an interest in Macedonian midfielder Enis Bardhi, who currently plies his trade with Levante in the La Liga.
As per the report, the Magpies are planning to seek reinforcements in the midfield department during the January window and have identified the 25-year-old as a potential target. LOSC Lille star, Boubakary Soumare, has emerged on the club’s radar once again after the Frenchman turned down a move to Tyneside in January this year.
Profile
An ethnic Albanian born in Skopje, Macedonia, Enis Bardhi started his footballing education at KF Shkupi in his homeland. He moved to Sweden to join Brondby at the youth level before making his senior breakthrough at Prespa Birlik in the country’s fourth-tier.
Bardhi was snapped up by Hungarian top-flight outfit Ujpest in the summer of 2014 and the playmaker went on to enjoy a successful 3-year stint at the club, accumulating 22 goals and 13 assists in 94 appearances.
The 25-year-old’s exploits prompted Levante to offer him a route to Spain in 2017 and Bardhi bagged an impressive 9 goals in 26 league appearances in his debut season, despite starting just 16 games.
The midfielder has since racked up a tally of 19 goals and 11 assists in 108 appearances for Levante in all competitions, whilst also scoring 5 times in 31 caps for North Macedonia.
Bardhi would add more creativity to the Magpies’ ranks
Newcastle United have had a mixed start to the 2020-21 campaign with 18 points accumulated from 13 games so far, leaving them 12th in the PL standings. With just 17 goals scored so far, it goes without saying that Steve Bruce needs to look for some impact signings in the winter market to propel his side to a top-ten finish.
Summer signing Callum Wilson has been the key goal contributor for the club with 8 goals and 3 assists from 12 league appearances. However, Newcastle have lacked any significant contribution from their other attackers.
Allan Saint-Maximin has faded away after a bright start to the campaign while Miguel Almiron, Joelinton, Andy Carroll and Ryan Fraser have also struggled to make much of an impression.
Putting things into perspective, the Magpies need to improve the quality of their supply lines to go toe-to-toe with some of the other mid-table sides in the top-flight. A potential deal for Enis Bardhi, to that end, would be an excellent piece of business for Newcastle.
The 25-year-old ticks plenty of boxes at St. James’ Park after establishing himself as a quality player at Levante in the La Liga. Bardhi started his career as a central midfielder with an eye for goal and has proven himself equally adept at operating in a No.10 role and also as a left-winger.
His versatility, coupled with his work rate at both ends of the pitch, should offer Newcastle more depth and variety in multiple positions across the midfield and final third. Add to that his quality from set-pieces – 6 out of Bardhi’s 19 goals in the La Liga have come from direct free-kicks – and the Macedonian would be a real asset to Bruce’s ranks.
Read More
- Why Newcastle should take a chance on Sam Cosgrove
- Why Newcastle should return for Boubakary Soumare in January
Verdict
Enis Bardhi still has plenty of room for development at just 25 and with the playmaker set to enter the last 18 months of his contract in January, Newcastle should fancy their chances of nabbing him for a decent fee in the winter market.
