Their answer to Mbeumo: Newcastle holding talks over signing £70m "monster"

Newcastle United swerved past PSR ramifications last summer and are now ready to make some proper investments in Eddie Howe’s team.

Though the mood was dour on Tyneside across the opening months of the 2024/25 campaign, with form at a low ebb after key targets were missed across the closing weeks of the transfer window, the Magpies ended up flying high.

Liverpool were thrashed at Wembley, the 2-1 scoreline flattering the losers in the Carabao Cup final, and a Herculean effort to seal fifth in the Premier League unlocked the gates back into the Champions League.

St. James’ Park presents an attractive project, for sure, but Brentford’s Bryan Mbeumo threw a spanner in the works when rejecting the Magpies’ interest due to a desire to move to Manchester United.

Newcastle, as always, will adapt, and indeed have found the perfect alternative.

Newcastle open talks for Mbeumo alternative

Mbeumo might be out of reach, but at least Newcastle have got the funds to launch on a top right-sided forward, with Brentford demanding around £60m for their talisman.

And if The Athletic are worth their salt (they are), the Toon have been having discussions behind the scenes about signing Bournemouth’s Antoine Semenyo as they look to complete Howe’s frontline.

Semenyo, 25, was a revelation on the south coast last season, providing a prolific and dynamic threat.

Having proven himself across two seasons in England’s top flight, the Cherries would be looking for a £70m fee if they are to cash in, and Tottenham Hotspur are also keen.

What Antoine Semenyo would bring to Newcastle

Bournemouth signed Semenyo from the Championship’s Bristol City for £10.5m in January 2023, and he’s since gone from strength to strength under Andoni Iraola’s leadership.

The aforementioned Athletic report states that while Howe is determined to add some firepower to Newcastle’s right wing, balance and multi-positionality are factors which will play into the manager’s reckoning. Semenyo, luckily, embodies such tactical principles and could be a fantastic fit.

Having been shuffled about the frontline last season, the two-footed talent has demonstrated an aptitude across different areas, always retaining a strong degree of potency.

Moreover, he’s been hailed as a “workhorse” and a “duel monster” by analyst Ben Mattinson, owing to an underlying tenacity that speaks of his combativeness, his desire to win.

It is for these reasons that he might prove to be an ideal Mbeumo alternative. As per FBref, Semenyo ranked among the top 5% of Premier League attacking midfielders and wingers last year for shots taken per 90, and his unrelenting search for goals led the data-powered site to list Mbeumo as one of his most comparable players.

Semenyo’s incremental progress over the past two years makes a telling comment on his chances of succeeding in Howe’s Newcastle system.

He has the underlying qualities to mirror those of Semenyo, who finished the campaign having scored 20 goals from 38 Premier League appearances, but also having averaged 1.8 key passes, 1.4 dribbles and 4.7 duels per game, as per Sofascore.

If Semenyo can tune that ball-striking hunger, streamline it, he might become a sensational part of a Newcastle side that just continues to exceed expectations.

Related

Newcastle’s most expensive sales of all time

Football FanCast takes a look at Newcastle’s 10 most expensive departures.