In a recent report, O Jogo has claimed that Newcastle United are showing interest in recruiting Benfica full-back, Nuno Tavares. However, it is understood that the Magpies could face competition from Burnley in pursuit of the Portuguese starlet (via O Jogo).
Tavares’ Impressive Rise At Benfica
The Lisboa-born talent is enjoying a solid season at the Estádio Sport Lisboa e Benfica and has put in some eye-catching displays on the left side of Jorge Jesus’ defence. Tavares has featured in a total of 36 senior matches for the Portuguese giants so far, scoring one goal and providing seven assists across all fronts.
The 21-year-old has shown some signs of maturity this season and is averaging 0.9 tackles, 0.5 interceptions, 0.6 clearances, 0.8 key passes and 1.3 dribbles per game in the Liga NOS and the UEFA Europa League. He has even distributed the ball well after completing 77.5% of his attempted passes in both those competitions (stats via whoscored).
The Benfica academy graduate has taken great strides towards improving himself over the past 12 months, but he is still quite raw and would need time to be ready to feature in the Premier League regularly if Newcastle can manage to bring him to St. James’ Park this summer.
What Will The Portuguese Starlet Add To Steve Bruce’s Side?
Tavares has electric pace under his belt and can pull off some promising dribbles out on the wide areas. He can use his powerful 1.84m frame to protect the ball when running with it and has got the vision to engineer some decent chances in the final third.
The Portuguese whizkid has picked up some valuable assists for Benfica this season and is versatile enough to function in both full-back positions. He can even strike the ball with venom but needs to work on improving his defending inside his half.
Is Tavares The Right Choice For The Magpies?
Tavares is quite attack-minded in the way he operates from the left-back position. He will undoubtedly be an upgrade over Jamal Lewis offensively but there are some question marks over the Liga NOS prospect’s defending. Therefore, he will be a good choice for Steve Bruce if he is looking to add more competition to his match-day squad for the coming seasons.
A player of Tavares’ skillset and potential will enhance the overall quality of the Newcastle first-team and could grow into a future star for them if Bruce can get the best out of him in the years to come. All in all, it makes sense for the Tyneside outfit to consider launching a move to land Tavares during the upcoming summer transfer window.
