According to the latest reports from Shields Gazette, Rafael Benitez is said to be keen on Tottenham Hotspur’s centre back Davinson Sanchez. The report mentions that the 22-year-old can cost as much as £60m in the transfer market. Sanchez has been used as a backup option by Mauricio Pochettino when either of Jan Vertonghen or Toby Alderweireld have been unavailable.
This is surprising to see as Sanchez looks out of bounds for a club like Newcastle United. However, the club could be in for some wholesale changes if the new owners take over. We don’t see the club paying £60m for a defender until and unless there are some significant changes made to the current system.
Does Newcastle United need a centre back?
Benitez has built this Newcastle United team on the back of a strong defence line, and he already has defenders who have performed well at the club. The likes of Fabian Schar, Jamaal Lascelles and Florian Lejeune have formed a formidable partnership at the back. Paul Dummett has also done a decent job filling in as a left-sided centre back in the defensive block of three.
Ciaran Clark is also an option for the club who has struggled to get game time. Even though the club finished in the 13th spot in the Premier League, the Magpies had the seventh-best defensive record in the division. Therefore that clearly shows that the club is defensively quite sturdy and its up front where they should look to add options.
Maybe the club wants to take itself to the next level and are seeing Sanchez as a signing who can be that defender for the long term.
What are Sanchez’s strengths?
The Colombian international is physically adept at coping with the challenges of the Premier League. He is also known as someone who can pass the ball from the back, and that is why he is in the Spurs team as Pochettino wants his defenders to build up play.
The 22-year-old is yet to reach his true potential as he is somewhat prone to errors, but the defender can be a top player to have once he starts getting regular chances in the first team. Spurs might want to keep hold of him as Alderweireld could depart from the club in the summer,
Chances of Newcastle signing him?
Until there is a takeover and a big injection of cash, we don’t see this move going through. Sanchez is an effective option to have, but we don’t see the Magpies being able to pull off this coup as the Colombian is not too far off from establishing himself into the Spurs first team.
