Will Newcastle United secure their qualifications for the Champions League?
Before the final day of the Premier League season, EddieHou’s team is fourth in the table, but Champions League qualifiers are not yet guaranteed.
The Magpie outperforms both Chelsea and Aston Villas by goal differences alone, but wins Everton, who promises to become a noisy St. James park.
Newcastle was expected to get the job done, and already has plans for a summer transfer window, so do they have a “surprising” magician who reminisces in vision a fan favorite from last year?
Hatem Ben Alpha’s Newcastle United career
Hatem Ben Arfa arrived in Tyneside from the Olympic Marseille, which he had first rented out in the summer of 2010, and set out four years later as a genuine cult hero.
The Frenchman scored 14 goals and provided 16 assists in 86 appearances for Magpies, but he was certainly more than pure stats.
Goal’s Peter McViti outlines his “sparkling of sparkles” during his time in the Northeast, and shows little “consistency” and beats the Toon army with “some dazzling fireplaces” and “a display of great skill.”
Meanwhile, Guardian Louise Taylor labeled him “a kind of footballer adores”, praised him for his “exquisite touch… excellent vision, perfect balance, elusive movements.”
Opta analyst Jean Baptist Kylett said Ben Alpha “believes France’s best dribbler since Zinedine Zidane, which certainly is a high rating, but it supports it by noting that only Neymar and Lionel Messi completed a big European league in 2006, surpassing the big European leagues.
So, over a decade after Ben Alpha’s departure, can Newcastle Faithful immediately delay another dribbling winger?
Search for new forwards in Newcastle
A recent report from Foot Mercato’s Santi Ouna said Newcastle is “interested” in signing Al Ali forward Gabri Beiga.
Fabrizio Romano reportedly said Veiga was about to join Porto for around £14 million, but Newcastle, which has apparent ties with Saudi Arabia, wants to hijack the deal.
Born and raised in Galicia, he broke through at his local boyhood club Celta de Vigo, describing Los Celestes’ performance as a “dream,” with Guardian Sid Lowe documenting his “extraordinary” La Liga format, adding that he “is not a stereotypical Spanish midfielder.”
In total, he scored 11 goals and registered five assists in 36 LA La Liga appearances during the 2022/23 season. On the final day, I put a brace in a bag to beat Barcelona at Barridos.
His LA La Liga statistics from that season were certainly very impressive.
Gabri Beiga | ||
---|---|---|
statistics | Gabro Veiga | Ranked League |
Min | 2,294 | No. 120 |
the goal | 11 | 13th |
Goal + Assist | 15 | 12th |
Target % shot | 46.8% | 17th |
Target shots per 90 | 1.14 | 15th |
Goal-XG | +4.9 | First |
I tried taking it | 75 | 34th |
Take-on success% (minimum 70 attempts) | 54% | 7 days |
Progressive Carry | 68 | 40 |
All statistics provided by fbref.com |
Given the above, Veiga was expected to move to one of Europe’s biggest clubs, but instead he chose to join Al Ahli.
Well, in the Middle East, the Spaniard scored 12 goals and registered 10 assists in 65 appearances. This is because Matthias Jaislu’s team won the AFC Champions League Elite this season, defeating Kawasaki Main in the final in Jeddah earlier this month.
Now ready to go back to Europe, can he be on his way to Tyneside?
Mack Pakey, a full football analysis, praises Bega’s “awareness to play ball forward” and his ability to play against opponents on a third of the pitch, a trait associated with Ben Alpha since his time at St. James Park.
Journalist Antonio Mango believes he has “an incredible technical ability,” while Thomas Hammond simply labels “a high-quality player with potential bags.”
It is therefore very clear that the Spaniard is a glamorous and extremely talented midfielder who is still room for development at the age of 22 and emphasizes that he is an excellent and exciting signature for Newcastle supporters.
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