Analysing Newcastle United’s January signings

Newcastle United made five signings in January as they battle against the drop in the Premier League - but what can we expect from the new arrivals?

After extensive scouting and enquiries about signings from everywhere possible across Europe, Newcastle United eventually completed five new signings across various positions in the January transfer window.

Bruno Guimaraes’ arrival from Lyon has understandably generated the most excitement among fans, and given his glowing reputation, he is likely to be the centrepiece of their midfield for the long term.

Reinforcements were more than necessary at the back too given their defensive record, and Newcastle were able to strengthen well with Dan Burn, Matt Targett and Kieran Trippier all joining the relegation battle.

Finally, Chris Wood arrived from Burnley to boost the attack after Newcastle tested the waters for multiple forwards.

These signings represent significant moves from Eddie Howe and co. as they look to bounce back after a disappointing first half of the season, but what can we expect from the new boys?

Kieran Trippier

Kieran Trippier was part of Atletico Madrid’s title-winning La-Liga campaign last year and once again proved himself as one of the league’s finest full-backs.

Yet despite all his success in Spain, Trippier’s return to England always felt like a question of if rather than when.

Trippier is a huge upgrade on Newcastle’s option before him in Javi Manquillo. He brings a wealth of experience and even at the age of 31 still has a few good years left in him.

Defensively, Trippier is reliable and solid like most players, but where he stands out is going forward.

Both in terms of ball-progression and creating chances for his team-mates, Trippier stands out thanks to his excellent range of passing and ability to create from both open play and set-pieces.

Trippier image here

As the above graphic shows, Trippier’s 7.35 progressive passes per90 was miles better than all of La Liga’s defender's last season. Additionally, his 1.27 key passes per90 make him stand out as a key creator for his team as well.

Matt Targett

On the other flank, Newcastle brought in Targett on loan from Aston Villa until the end of the season, which is a fairly sensible move whichever way you look at it.

A decent upgrade on Matt Ritchie, Targett’s combinations out wide with the likes of Ryan Fraser and Allan Saint-Maximin should be a treat for Newcastle fans.

Though not one of the bigger names in the league, Targett’s performances warrant praise and his numbers do too.

Averaging nearly six progressive passes p90, combined with nearly 1.2 key passes p90, these numbers were only bettered by Joao Cancelo, Andrew Robertson and Trent Alexander-Arnold of Premier League left-backs last season, according to numbers from Statsbomb (via Fbref).

Dan Burn

After trying and failing to bring in the likes of Sven Botman and Diego Carlos, Newcastle decided to bring Dan Burn back to his boyhood club in a bargain transfer deal from Brighton.

Burn has been one of the better defenders in the Premier League since his switch to the Seagulls and has shown a great deal of versatility playing not only as a centre-back but also as a wing-back and full-back too.

Burn will push for first-team spots but will also provide quality in depth for Newcastle with his ability to progress the ball further up the pitch with his carries and passing.

Averaging about 2.65 interceptions per90 since last season, Burn is in the top 1% of all Premier League full-backs for that metric, according to numbers from Statsbomb (via Fbref).

Bruno Guimaraes

Bruno Guimaraes has been on the radar of some of Europe’s biggest teams, but Newcastle were the club to clinch his signature, racing ahead of the competition in January and snapping him up.

The Brazilian comes with a glowing reputation from playing in Ligue 1 with Lyon. He is the perfect deep-lying playmaker that can elevate the quality of Newcastle’s midfield.

Not only is Guimaraes’ ability to pick passes from deep impressive, he is also quite active as a patroller in deeper areas, screening the backline.

Last season, when compared to U23 midfielders, Guimaraes’s volume of defensive actions ranked him as the fourth highest across the Top Five Leagues.

This is likely something he will repeat with Newcastle given how little possession they’ve normally kept during games.

U23 graphic

Going into the summer, Newcastle can take their time to find the perfect combination with Guimaraes in midfield. It would be smart on the club’s part to build their team around his talents for the future.

Chris Wood

Wood was the second signing at the club after Trippier’s arrival. A long-term injury to Callum Wilson forced Newcastle to look for options quickly and Wood was identified as the answer.

The New Zealand international is not the most glamourous of players, but he does guarantee goals.

Wood has reached double figures for goals every season since 2017-18 and though he only has three goals so far this season, with the right service, he could well cross that 10-goal mark once again.

Wood is a menace to deal with in the air and is very effective at being a link player in the final third. Trippier and Wood will likely combine for more than a few goals before the season ends.

All Stats are from Statsbomb via Fbref, correct as of February 9, 2022.