Newcastle United’s shift in momentum since the affluent takeover in 2021 has been nothing short of resounding, with the stellar signings on the transfer front transcending the fortunes on the field.
By and large, the work plied has been shrewdly done; prudent investments to instil a newfound mentality and ensure that European-chasing seasons replace desperate bids to stave off the threat of relegation from the Premier League.
Manager Eddie Howe has done a fine job indeed, and with the Magpies perched admirably in fifth after 24 matches, bolstering the ranks with several first-rate acquisitions could go a long way toward embedding the new era with quality unseen on Tyneside for an age.
As such, rumours attributing interest from Howe and co in Napoli centre-back Kim Min-jae must be acted upon, with the South Korean centre-back exceeding expectations at the heart of the high-flying Italian Serie A leaders’ backline.
According to Napoli’s former sporting director Carlo Jacomuzzi (via Area Napoli), the English outfit are keeping tabs on the defender and could make their move in the summer.
The Magpies boast the most formidable defence in the division, having shipped just 17 strikes, but might seek assurance over the calibre of their defensive department, with one eye firmly fixed on a seat in the Champions League over the coming years, and Kim could be the optimum choice to bolster the fold.
Would Kim be a good signing for Newcastle?
Despite only signing for the Partenopei last summer for €18m (£16m) – a replacement for Kalidou Koulibaly, who joined Chelsea for £33m – the 26-year-old has swiftly asserted himself as one of the division’s finest, with his outfit now touting him at £42m, amid interest from several of Europe’s most prominent sides.
Having made 32 appearances across all competitions, scoring two goals and registering an assist, Kim has been an unflappable “rock” as lauded by Serie A expert Matteo Bonetti, who also hailed him as “the most impressive defender in the league.”
17 points clear at the top of the table, Napoli are destined to win the Scudetto this term, basking in glory not gleaned in Naples since 1989/90, the club’s previous league title.
And with the 47-cap colossus ranking among the top 10% of centre-backs for pass completion, top 8% for shot-creating actions, top 17% for progressive passes and top 8% for aerials won per 90, his all-encompassing scope and ball-playing prowess slots him right into the mould of the quintessential top-class defender of modern times.
With Bayern Munich phenom Matthijs de Ligt listed as the most comparable player to the Napoli ace, as per FBref, Howe could welcome his own version of the Dutch dynamo to the fold at St. James’ Park.
De Ligt signed for Juventus for roughly €75m (£68m) in 2019, when he was still only 19-years-old, before switching for German giants Bayern last summer for £68m.
With the respective centre-backs both possessing an innate ball-playing aptitude and an astute intellect on the pitch, the Magpies would make an auspicious move indeed if they were to prise Kim away from Naples.
The 23-year-old Bavarian ranks among the top 8% of positional peers for pass completion and 9% for aerials won himself, and given the striking similarities between his approach and the South Korean’s, the Magpies simply must swoop.
Heralded as an “iron barrel” by prodigious team-mate Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Kim would be the perfect signing for Newcastle, who only a little over one year ago faced the daunting embrace of the drop, but with an illustrious new chapter tantalising its arrival, Howe must continue the ascension and sign the titan.
He would inject the iron-clad grip needed to cement United’s defensive line with steely and unwavering resolve.
