According to reports from Spain as cited by Sunderland Echo, Reall Valladolid’s defender Mohammed Salisu has impressed Newcastle United with his recent form, and the Magpies are being linked with a move for him. The 20-year-old centre back is also drawing interest from the likes of Everton, Sevilla and Schalke.
It is believed that the defender has his release clause set at £10.4m. The report also adds that Newcastle United’s priorities in January are likely to lie elsewhere as they will look to bolster in attack and midfield. However, Salisu’s release clause and age fit the bill for the Toon.
United have somewhat exceeded expectations so far as they are sitting on the 13th place on the table. Their season has once again been built around a strong defensive unit, and their approach of playing with the back five have continued to work under Steve Bruce.
The club has some quality defensive options in the form of Jamaal Lascelles, Fabian Schar, Federico Fernandez and Florian Lejeune. Even Ciaran Clark, who was often ignored in the past year, has put in some commanding performances at the back. Hence, it will be surprising to see the Toon spend money on a defender in January.
However, as mentioned in the report, the price tag and the age of Salisu seems to be attracting the Magpies, and they might feel that the African defender’s stocks would rise in the future.
What can Salisu offer?
Salisu joined Valladolid’s youth setup in 2017 and in just over a year, he broke into their senior team in 2018. The 20-year-old has been a constant feature at the back for his side as he has made 13 appearances in the La Liga this season, starting in every game of the league.
The defender has a calming presence at the back, and he has decent pace which allows him to make up ground quickly in defence. He is reliable and physical in his duels, and at the moment seems to have all the qualities which are needed in a top defender. The Ghanaian centre back is still relatively inexperienced, so there is room for improvement to his game.
Should Bruce sign him?
It’s tough to say whether the Toon should go in for him or not. His price tag and profile seems to be exciting at the moment. However, Newcastle have some quality defenders at their disposal. We think that they should look to get in Salisu as someone like Schar can attract interest from some of the top clubs in the future.
