Newcastle United fans love life right now.
On Tuesday night, goals from Alexander Isak and then Anthony Gordon saw the Magpies beat Arsenal 2-0 in the first game Carabao Cup semi-final, leaving the Toon Army on the brink of Wembley.
Overall, that’s now seven straight wins Eddie Howeteam in all competitions, achieving five consecutive victories in Premier Leagueclimbing from 12th to fifth in the table.
So, currently on course for Champions League qualifications and dreaming of the first big domestic trophy in 70 yearsThe mood on Tyneside could hardly be better, but can Newcastle enter the January transfer market to further strengthen their squad?
Newcastle eyeing PSG star
According to the report of Italian outlet Tutto Mercato earlier this week, Newcastle United will try to “make a move” to sign him Paris Saint-Germain forward Lee Kang-in in the next few days after inquiring about his availability.
The source claims that Manchester United are also in the running to sign the South Korean with a valuation of around £33m floating around.
So who is Lee Kang-in?
How Lee Kang-in would improve Newcastle
23-year-old striker, joined La Liga club Valencia as an 11-year-old, making his debut for the senior team during a Copa del Rey match against Ebro in October 2018.
After 62 performances for Los Che, he moved to Mallorca on Bosman in the summer of 2021, certainly catching the eye during his two seasons in the Balearic Islands as Paris Saint-Germain came calling in July 2023, paying €22m (£18m) for his signature.
Since joining the Ligue 1 champions, Lee has scored 11 goals in 60 appearances for Les Parisiens, the most notable of which was a 3-0 win against AC Milan in the Champions League last season.
In this campaign, he established himself as a key figure in Luis Enrique’s team from the start 14 of their 24 matchesamassing 1,366 minutes while also cementing his place as one of the first names on the squad list at international level, featuring in every one of the Taegeuk Warriors the last 22 competitive meetings.
Korean journalist Joel Kim described his compatriot as “extraordinary”, adding that this was “just the beginning” of his stardom, but could Lee’s future lie in the North East?
Lee is a very versatile player, although he was predominantly distributed on the right wingthe position he currently holds Jacob Murphy in Newcastle, so would the South Korean be an upgrade?
|
Lee Kang-in vs. Jacob Murphy (23/24 and 24/25) |
||
|---|---|---|
|
Statistics |
Lee Kang-in |
Murphy |
|
Appearances |
60 |
47 |
|
minute |
3,442 |
2,743 |
|
Objectives |
11 |
7 |
|
Assists |
7 |
15 |
|
Progressive mounts |
107 |
70 |
|
Recordings |
75 |
61 |
|
Shots on goal % |
40% |
29.5% |
|
Goals – xG |
+4.4 |
+1.5 |
|
% of success |
84.4% |
68.2% |
|
Actions to create a shot |
174 |
95 |
|
It touches |
2,572 |
1,242 |
As shown in the table, Lee has outscored Murphy since the start of last season in nearly every single metric, with the lone exception being assists.
The Korean registered twice as many touches, pointing out that he is significantly more involved in the game, while his percentage of successful passes was exponentially higher.
Lee also scored more goals, took more shots and registered more progressive transfers, while his goals-xG number is very impressive (+4.4), ranked third in Ligue 1 for this metric this campaignwhile also 18th in the first five European leaguesrepeating that he is an extremely clinical finisher.
A carry is considered progressive if the ball is moved towards the opponent’s goal at least 10 yards from its starting point or carried into the penalty area.
Sam Tabuteau of Breaking The Lines calls Murphy one of the hardest-working players in the Premier League, a key figure in Newcastle’s recent run of wins, but if the Magpies are to go to the next level, they will need some more quality which Lee could certainly provide, forming a potent front three alongside Isak and Gordon.
