Eddie Howe would snub Neymar to make bring in La Liga star
Newcastle United’s manager Eddie Howe would prefer to sign Barcelona ace Ferran Torres over a ‘superstar’ like Neymar, journalist Dean Jones has told GIVEMESPORT.
Jones suggested that Newcastle’s owners Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF) ‘need and want’ for a superstar doesn’t align with the project Howe and his backroom staff are trying to build at the club.
Newcastle transfer news – Ferran Torres
Spanish heavyweights Barcelona picked up Torres from Premier League champions Manchester City for around the £50m mark, according to Eurosport.
However, Fabrizio Romano recently told GIVEMESPORT that Torres is keen to stay at the Catalan club, amid interest from fellow English club Aston Villa. Both factors may be a stumbling block in Newcastle’s approach.
With Financial Fair Play regulations in mind, however, the former City winger may be a candidate to leave Spain.
And according to The Daily Mail, Howe’s Newcastle outfit are weighing up whether to make a formal approach for the 23-year-old.
The Neymar-Newcastle saga is not advanced at this point, though Spanish publication Relevo have revealed that Newcastle have held discussions with Paris-Saint Germain after finding out the Brazilian is “seriously considering a change of scenery”.
The same report states that England’s top flight is Neymar’s likely destination, especially given his price and eye-watering wage demands.
But whether Newcastle are able to secure his signature, while contending with some of Europe’s top clubs, such as Manchester United, remains to be seen.
Amid the speculation of United’s interest in the world-beating 31-year-old, The Daily Mail reported that Erik ten Hag has refused to rule out a potential transfer.
What did Dean Jones say about Newcastle and Ferran Torres?
Speaking exclusively to GIVEMESPORT, Jones said: “Eddie Howe would probably prefer a signing like that [Torres] than a Neymar because it’s a bit easier for him to control the narrative and also not have that superstar feel to his dressing room.
“I think he wants to put that off for as long as possible to be honest. I know that there’s a need and want from PIF to have those characters in the dressing room, but it doesn’t really reflect who Eddie Howe is.”
Should Newcastle sign Ferran Torres or Neymar?
If you were to base this purely on footballing ability, Neymar evidently runs the show. But looking at the bigger picture may mean Newcastle would opt for a lower profile move to not upset the dressing room.
As well as this, securing Neymar is likely to be too much of an investment for Newcastle and their owners PIF to make, and they would need to be wary of the FFP issues it may cause in the future.
Torres is much more attainable, too. Barcelona were attempting to find quick solutions to welcome the return of Lionel Messi and needed to shift another £160m worth of players in order to achieve that, according to The Daily Mail.
His stint at the Etihad Stadium ended prematurely, though the Spaniard did rack up a commendable 16 goals and four assists across 43 appearances.
However, his goal return in Spain has not been as fruitful as he has only managed 10 G/A in 45 appearances during Barcelona’s league-winning campaign, according to Transfermarkt.
Torres may be lured to join the Magpies by taking a look at the improvements Howe has elicited from his current crop, with the likes of Callum Wilson, Alexander Isak, and Miguel Almiron all exceeding expectations in the 2022/23 season.
