Should Newcastle Pursue Eliaquim Mangala?

The January Transfer Window is coming to a close, and Newcastle has only one loanee to show for. Surprised? Not so much. Worried? Absolutely. Newcastle currently sits at 15th, tied with B&H Albion and Stoke City, but do have the tiebreaker over both teams (goal differential). Swansea City, who are in last place, sit only three points away from Newcastle’s position. Yikes.

So, what does Newcastle need in order to further the gap between them and the bottom three? Most, including me, would say a striker, as our goal scorers are one of the least impressive groups in the Premier League. But it doesn’t really seem like a striker will be signed between now and the end of the window. Reports are now saying Eliaquim Mangala of Manchester City is now a target of Newcastle’s. Is this a good move?

Mangala, primarily a centerback, has recently become an option as Manchester City has signed Aymeric Laporte from Athletic Bilbao for a whopping 57 million pounds. The Frenchman has still been limited in minutes this season, only seeing playing time in 9 Premier League matches. His defensive and football abilities are still there, although his transfer market value has plummeted from a 31.5 million pound value to just 13.5 million pounds (transfermarkt). Thats roughly 10% of the value of Newcastle players right now, while the average value of defenders being roughly 4.2 million pounds.

Photo by Victoria Haydn/Man City via Getty Images

Newcastle are not the only ones interested in signing Mangala. West Ham United and Valencia are also said to be suitors to land the 26-year old. With the way this transfer window has been going, it’s more likely Newcastle will not shell out the cash that is needed to land him.

Missing out on Mangala would not be a massive disappointment... or a surprise. Newcastle’s strength would probably be their centerbacks with Lascelles and Lejeune, but competition with Mangala inserted in the lineup would be huge for the squad down the stretch.

Loaning Mangala is the most likely option for Newcastle as Pep Guardiola still believes in the capabilities of the Frenchman. But Newcastle will have to battle with their relegation rivals, West Ham, to secure the centerback.

You can follow Coming Home Newcastle on Twitter @ComingHomeNUFC or like the blog’s Facebook page. CHN is always looking to grow, and if you think you would be a good fit to join our staff check out this article here.