Newcastle United have been linked with a move for Real Betis midfielder Nabil Fekir.
What’s the news?
According to recent reports in Spain (via Sport Witness), the Magpies will look to secure a move for the Frenchman this summer.
After scoring 69 goals and providing 46 assists in 193 appearances for his previous club Lyon, the 28-year-old joined Betis in 2019. Since then, the midfielder – who is currently valued around the €40m (£34m) mark according to CIES – has found the net 22 times and delivered 23 assists in 118 appearances across all competitions.
Over 34 appearances throughout the 2021/22 La Liga campaign, the Frenchman racked up more shots at goal (84), shot-creating actions (161) and successful dribbles (57) than any of his team-mates.
This highlights just how dangerous he can be in front of goal when it comes to scoring and setting up goalscoring opportunities for his team-mates.
He also ended the campaign with the joint-third highest number of successful tackles (34) at the La Liga club, which shows that he isn’t afraid to get stuck in and win the ball back for his team.
Taking all this into account, it’s easy to see why he has been listed as the highest-rated Betis player to start more than one league game last season according to WhoScored, with an overall performance rating of 7.38/10.
It’s also easy to see why the 2018 World Cup winner was lauded as a “world champion with tremendous quality” by Betis president Angel Haro.
Ben Arfa 2.0
Fekir’s clear talent in front of goal could put him in the same light as former Newcastle star Hatem Ben Arfa.
Bearing in mind how the 35-year-old racked up 29 goal contributions in 86 appearances for the Magpies ( 14 goals and 15 assists), this mirrors the Betis dynamo’s effectiveness at the top of the pitch.
In fact, over 26 Premier League appearances in the 2011/12 season, the Frenchman ended the campaign with five goals, five assists and an average of 1.3 key passes and two dribbles per game, highlighting the attacking similarities between him and Fekir.
If Newcastle were able to strike a deal for the Betis star this summer, this would surely be a fantastic addition to Eddie Howe’s squad given the clear talent that the 28-year-old has.
AND in other news: PIF plotting Newcastle bid for £211k-p/w target, he’d be “one of the best” summer signings
