Newcastle United's recruitment since the PIF takeover in 2021 has been sensational. The Magpies have spent over £400m, which is certainly a lot of money, but the signings have managed to turn the Geordie club from a team fighting for survival in the Premier League to one that is vying once more for the top four.
The likes of Sven Botman, Nick Pope, Alexander Isak, Anthony Gordon, Tino Livramento and Kieran Trippier have been symbolic of the new era under Eddie Howe at St. James' Park. However, there are still players from the previous regime who have significantly improved since Howe took the reins, such as Miguel Almiron.
Nevertheless, with quite a young core squad, the Paraguay international is hitting 30 in February and the manager looks to be in the market for a new right-winger.
Matias Soule to Newcastle United
According to Gazzetta Dello Sport, Newcastle United are keeping tabs on Matias Soule's progression in Italy as the Argentine winger is currently on loan at newly-promoted Serie A side Frosinone from Italian giants Juventus.
The outlet are claiming that the Magpies face competition from Crystal Palace for the winger's signature, with Soule said to be worth in the region of between £17-21m.
Soule joined Juventus three years ago on a free transfer and managed to make his first-team debut upon Max Allegri's return to the dugout in 2021 while switching between the main squad and Juventus Next Gen. The youngster became a regular member of Allegri's team last season, making 19 appearances in total and scoring once but was sent out on loan to Frosinone at the start of the 2023/24 campaign.
Nevertheless, Soule is having an excellent campaign on loan and has found the net six times in 12 matches and is now being touted with a switch to the English North East. Football scout Jacek Kulig has stated that the Juventus loanee has had a "fantastic" start to the season in Rome.
Matias Soule's stats this season
The 20-year-old is the joint-fourth top scorer in Serie A this season with six strikes to his name. Coincidentally, Soule has scored more times in the Italian top-flight than any other Juventus player this season and only Domenico Berardi, Olivier Giroud and Lautaro Martinez have converted more opportunities than the ex-Velez Sarsfield man.
When comparing Soule to Newcastle United's current squad, only Callum Wilson and Alexander Isak have had better goal returns this term.
In fact, Soule has scored two more goals than Almiron despite playing in eight fewer games in all competitions. The young winger has also been outperforming Almiron in a number of key attacking metrics this season.
Goals
0.49
0.26
Expected Goals
0.37
0.16
Assists
0.08
0.13
Expected Assists
0.22
0.09
Key Passes
2.96
0.94
Passes To Final 1/3
2.87
1.58
Passes To Penalty Area
2.87
1.08
Progressive Passes
6.87
3.81
Progressive Carries
4.09
3.96
Attempted Take-Ons
9.04
2.59
Successful Take-Ons %
51
27.8
It's quite impressive that Soule has managed some of these numbers while playing for a mid-table side too. The Argentina U20s international is proving to be far more deadly inside the penalty area and is creating an abundance of chances for Frosinone this term.
Additionally, despite primarily being a right-winger, Soule has played 16 times as a second striker and the same number of games as an attacking midfielder, which could offer Howe flexibility in case an injury crisis riddles his squad once more in the future.
Soule could be a superb addition to Newcastle's squad, particularly with Almiron nearing the wrong side of 30 and having performed better than his South American counterpart statistically this season.