NEWCASTLE EYEING SALAH 2.0 IN £22M SUPERSTAR

Newcastle United are interested in signing Fenerbahce winger Arda Guler this summer as manager Eddie Howe targets first-rate talent to bolster his newfound Premier League force.

What's the latest on Arda Guler to Newcastle?

That's according to outlet Turkish Football, who state that the Magpies - alongside Arsenal - are leading the race for 18-year-old prodigy Guler, who has enjoyed a tremendous breakout season in his homeland.

While his outfit are reluctant to sell one of their most coveted assets so early into his emergence, bids in excess of £25m are believed to be enough to warrant a departure.

Having qualified for the Champions League this season, the Toon are now in a fantastic position to consolidate their newfound power with superlative signings, and in Guler Howe would find one of the brightest gems in all of football.

Who is Arda Guler?

Having risen to the fore this term, Guler has indeed cemented himself as his country's shining prospect, having six goals and six assists apiece from just 16 starts across all competitions.

He has already found praise from high places, with Fatih Karagumruk manager Andrea Pirlo a stout believer that the teenager could blossom into one of the very best.

“Arda Guler is a very talented player,” said the Italian World Cup champion. “He has the potential to play anywhere in the world. He has quality, he can read the game well, and he has great technique. If he keeps developing his game, there is no limit to his potential.”

Having already featured twice for his national team, Guler has been dubbed the 'Turkish Lionel Messi', such is the innate ease with which he glides across the final third, roving into promising areas and blending direct potency with an ingenious creative spark.

Given his comparisons with the iconic Messi, Howe could nurture his own version of Premier League star Mohamed Salah with a move; the Liverpool right-forward has been one of the most prolific aces in the division since signing from Roma for £34m in 2017 and has chalked up 186 goals and 79 assists from just 305 outings for the Reds.

Guler has certainly got the "serious talent" - as dubbed by Duncan Castles - to emulate the aforementioned stars to a considerable degree, with the left-footed dynamo having incredibly recorded an average Sofascore rating of 7.55 in the Turkish Super Lig, with his seven direct contributions from ten starts complemented by an 82% pass success rate, 2.1 key passes and 1.2 tackles per match - truly an all-encompassing and precocious starlet.

He also found a place in The Guardian's 'Next Gen 2022' list, with Emre Sarigul writing: "The attacking midfielder is one of the most technically gifted midfielders to emerge in Turkey for years and is already a star name at one of the biggest clubs in the Süper Lig."

Football is intrinsic to certain players, capable of devastating opposition with the calibre of their feats; Salah embodies this. He ranks among the top 3% of positional peers for rate of non-penalty goals and the top 14% for rate of assists per 90, wreaking havoc with regularity and leaving an illustrious trail in his wake.

Guler, while at the maiden phase of a potentially prosperous career, is already playing at a level beyond his years and with a move to Newcastle, his lofty ceiling could be realised.

2023-06-02T06:11:11Z dg43tfdfdgfd