Newcastle are keen to sign the £25m Rapid2 ace to star alongside Botman

The January transfer window officially started last week and Newcastle United could use the winter market to strengthen their team ahead of the second part of the season.

A 2-1 win over Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday left the Magpies in fifth place Premier League table, which could bring them qualifications for the Champions League for the 2025/26 season.

Eddie HoweThe team are in good contention to qualify for Europe’s premier cup competition for the second time in his tenure and could add more quality to his squad to give the squad a boost ahead of the final few months of the term.

Newcastle have won ten and drawn five of their opening Premier League games so far, with 34 goals scored and just 22 conceded to date.

This shows that Howe already has a well-rounded squad that has provided plenty of quality in attack and defense in the top flight, meaning they don’t need to make major changes to the group this window.

However, one or two quality additions could improve the squad and Newcastle are reportedly in the market to bolster their options in the center of defence.

Newcastle’s interest in the Ligue 1 giants

According to CaughtOffsideNewcastle United are just one of a number of teams interested in signing RC Lens centre-back Kevin Danso ahead of the February deadline.

The report claims that both the Magpies and second-tier Premier League sides Wolverhampton Wanderers and West Ham United are keen on signing the former Southampton titan, who played in the English Premier League during his time on loan with Saints in 2019/20.

It is added that European clubs Juventus, Inter Milan, Roma, Bayern Munich, Fenerbahce and Villarreal could also be in the race to secure his services ahead of the second part of the season. That suggests there could be plenty of competition for the centre-back position and it won’t be easy for Howe and his team to get the deal done.

CaughtOffside reveals it Lens are demanding a fee of as much as €30m (£25m) to allow their star defender to leave the club this month, although it remains to be seen whether any of the interested clubs are willing to pay that much for his signature.

The report describes it as an ‘affordable’ price, but does not specifically state that Newcastle share that sentiment, so it is unclear how likely a deal is for the Magpies at this point.

However, if Howe and the recruitment team can secure a transfer for Danso, he could come in and star alongside Sven Botman at the back moving forward.

Sven Botman’s successful return to action

The Dutch defender made his first competitive appearance for Newcastle since March in the 2-1 win against Spurs on Saturday, starting alongside Dan Burn at centre-back.

Despite playing on the right side of the pair, as a left-footed player, Botman produced a superb performance to help his side secure all three points against Ange Postecoglou’s side, with strong play out of possession.

As you can see in the table above, the former Ajax starlet made a number of important defensive interventions to prevent Martin Dubravka from being troublesome, while not allowing a single Spurs player to dribble him in 89 minutes.

The 24-year-old star’s best form came during the 2022/23 season, his debut season in England, when played 36 times in the Premier League and helped the team keep 11 clean sheets as they qualified for the Champions League.

Boatman won 68% of his duels on the ground and 66% of his aerial contests in the division that term, showing he has the defensive quality and physicality to regularly dominate opposition attackers on the ground and in the air.

As a left-footed player, the Newcastle titan should also play on the left side of the pair ideally and that is, in part, why Danso would be a dream signing for him this month.

Why Newcastle should sign Kevin Danso

Firstly, the Austrian international is a right-back who operates on the right side of the defence, meaning he would complement the left-wing Botman well as part of a balanced pairing.

Secondly, and most importantly, Dans’ form in Ligue 1 for Lens suggests he has the quality to come in and form a solid partnership with the Dutchman from a defensive perspective.

As you can see in the chart above, the Austrian titan, which analyst Ben Mattinson claimed to have “fast” pace of recoveryoffers more than Botman in possession as a progressive passer and ball carrier – based on their form over the last 365 days.

This suggests that Danso could emerge as an aggressive possession player in the pair to push Newcastle up the pitch, while the Dutch ace can relax and focus on being a dominant defensive force.

As you can see in the table above, the 26-year-old has outperformed Newcastle’s current right-footed centre-back Fabian Schar in a number of key defensive metrics.

Schar, who turns 34 this year, could offer an experienced and brilliant squad if the club can agree a deal for Danso, who appears to have the quality to be a fantastic long-term replacement for the Switzerland international.

His stats for Lens suggest he has the ability, in and out of possession, to come in and star alongside Botman in the heart of the defence, as he is a progressive passer who is also dominant in the air and great at clearing opposition attacks.