This Transfer Rumor Won’t Go Away

When following Newcastle United, one quickly realizes that you take transfer rumors with a grain of salt. As someone who has to decide what is real vs what is fake, the easiest thing to look for is consistency across multiple sources. One player has been constantly talked about at St. James Park, and it is Ajax Left-Back Nicolas Tagliafico.

It’s no secret that Newcastle need a Left-Back and that doesn't mean I am saying Paul Dummett is bad. It means we need depth. AND someone to challenge Dummett.

Tagliafico would be that player. According to HITC and the Chronicle, Newcastle have been tracking the player for 18 months while the player was at Independiente in Argentina.

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After winning the Copa Sudamericana, he moved to the Eredivisie and signed with Ajax where he has since flourished. Since he signed with the club, he has made 22 starts with a goal and 4 assists. Two of those assists came in Champions League Playoff this year.

Even more impressive, he made his way into the Argentina National Team. He has 4 friendly caps to his name as well as 4 World Cup starts.

The Chronicle stated that Newcastle werent able to afford the €8M valuation for him which, if true, is absurd. If Nicolas keeps up this form, I would imagine he would go for €12M - €15M in January which would be a steal for the 25 year old.

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According to whoscored.com, Nicolas’ strengths are passing, key passes, aerial duels, holding the ball, interceptions, and tackling. He also likes to dribble and play short passes.

I think he would be an ideal fit for the club and it is rumored the player is keen on a move to the Premier League. We all know what the challenge is, its Mike Ashley. If we can get an early January bid accepted, it’s possible Newcastle could come away with a massive steal.