Newcastle News Today,Should Newcastle sign Axel Disasi?

Newcastle United have mixed reactions to their return to Premier League action with a victory at home on the opening day and then a hard-fought draw away to Bournemouth this weekend.

The Magpies took all three points from newly promoted Southampton at St James’ Park last weekend despite going down to ten men when Fabian Schar saw red for an altercation with Ben Brereton Diaz.

However, a less-than-perfect performance against Eddie Howe’s former club this weekend was saved by a controversially disallowed goal which led to the points shared at the Vitality Stadium.

These two results have currently put Newcastle sixth in the top-flight table, but with 36 games to go, there is still a lot of improvement needed to challenge for a European qualification spot at the business end of the campaign.

Indeed, the North East giants have added some fresh faces to their squad this summer with Lloyd Kelly being acquired to bolster the defensive presence, while John Ruddy and Odysseas Vlachodimos have added experience and quality to the goalkeeping department.

Having said that, it is clear that Newcastle are keen to add another centre-back to their squad before the transfer window shuts this week and have been chasing a deal for Crystal Palace’s Marc Guehi for a few weeks now.

After four failed bids for the England international, it looked like the Magpies were set to finally get their man last week, however, an agreement to complete the deal with the South London has seemingly stalled and remains incomplete.

As a result, it would be wise for the club’s hierarchy to assess and explore their alternative options to avoid being caught out and unable to add the crucial centre-back depth needed in the remaining days and are now reported to be looking at another Premier League star.

According to netsport report’s senior correspondent Peter O’Rourke, Newcastle are monitoring a potential move for Chelsea defender Axel Disasi as an option if they cannot come to an agreement with Palace for Guehi.

Speaking on the latest edition of Football Insider’s Inside Track podcast, O’Rourke claimed that Disasi is “one to keep an eye on” as the Tyneside club work to sign a defender.

The 26-year-old Frenchman has only been at Chelsea for 12 months since completing a £38.8m move from Monaco, but has been influential in parts of last season when he was relied upon by Mauricio Pochettino.

Over 31 Premier League appearances, Disasi scored two goals, tallied up a 91% pass completion rate and successfully completed 65% of his total duels, as well as averaging 64.3 accurate passes, a whopping 82.1 touches and 4.8 ball recoveries per game.

Not only that, over the last 12 months, the talented centre-back ranked in the top 17% of his positional peers across the top five European leagues for successful take-ons, progressive carries and pass completion, as per FBref.

Sven Botman and Jamaal Lascelles are out until January due to recovery from surgery on ACL injuries, meaning the defensive set up is lacking crucial depth in the short-term, so while the club may be inclined to wait for their top target it could set them back this season.