Newcastle United are interested in signing Leicester City midfielder Hamza Choudhury on loan, but may first need to sell some players to create space for him.
According to reports in the Daily Mail, Newcastle United head coach Steve Bruce is pushing the hierarchy to make a loan move for Leicester City’s hard-tackling midfielder Hamza Choudhury as he looks to add some bite to his ranks.
But the Magpies will have to trim their squad by getting rid of some of the first-team members off their books in order to make room for the former England Under-21 international. Newcastle are willing to move out the likes of Jeff Hendrick, Longstaff brothers, Fabian Schar, and Ciaran Clark have all been made available for exits this summer.
Steve Bruce is said to be a big admirer of the player’s dynamic playing style and tenacity and wants to bring the 23-year-old to St James’ Park to give them more power and guile in the centre of the park. It is understood that the player himself is keen on a move away from the King Power to get more regular playing time. With Newcastle offering the assurances, this makes it a more appealing proposition for Choudhury.
Choudhary is behind Wilfred Ndidi, Nampalys Mendy and the newly-recruited Boubakary Soumare in the Foxes’ midfield pecking order, so it is understandable why the Englishman wants a fresh start to resurrect his career. The Leicester City academy product only made 22 appearances last term, of which only ten were in the Premier League despite Leicester having so many notable injuries.
The 23-year-old has two years left to run on his Leicester contract, and the Foxes are willing to work out a deal. Choudhury is an all-action holding midfielder with decent passing ability and positional understanding. His game reading is exceptional, and he frequently places him in the proper position to break up the opposition play.
He also has played as a deep-lying playmaker while out on loan at Burton Albion during his nurturing years and is capable of launching extended progressive passes through crowded areas. He is a tenacious and energetic player, and a superb tackler who never hesitates to fly into challenges although he is sometimes rash – an area he needs to improve upon.
Choudhury would be a smart pick up as Newcastle’s midfield is crying out for dynamism and freshness. The Magpies have already brought Joe Willock, who is excellent at getting forward in goalscoring positions; pairing him alongside a more defensive-minded Choudhury would make a decent midfield two.
Newcastle midfield looked out of sorts and were non-existent as they slumbered 4-2 defeat against West Ham last weekend. No one denies Jonjo Shelvey’s creative abilities, but he is easily outrun in midfield. Replacing him with a box-to-box ball-winning midfielder like Choudhury will provide them with an extra edge going forward as well as keeping things tight at the back.