Newcastle United are in talks to recruit Rogerio from Sassuolo this summer with a fee of £12.5m being mentioned by Sky in Italy. It is believed that the Magpies are looking for a replacement for Danny Rose and could strengthen their left-back position by landing the Brazilian defender in this off-season. Renowned journalist Nicolo Schira also backed Sky Sports’ claim when he tweeted that the Tyneside outfit are prepared to seal a move for Rogerio for €14m during this summer transfer period.
Rogerio’s Injury-Ravaged Season At Mapei Stadium – Città del Tricolore
Rogerio was struck with some major injury concerns as he missed a significant chunk of the last campaign because of a meniscal problem. However, he deserves credit for producing a few exciting displays from the left side of Roberto De Zerbi’s defence. The Nobres-born full-back has shown some signs of promise in Italian football, but his recent injury record makes him a risky option for Newcastle to gamble on in this off-season.
The Brazilian sensation managed to net one goal and secure one assist in 18 matches for the Italian outfit last season across various competitions. More importantly, the 22-year-old did well to make an impact in both halves based on his average of 1.3 tackles, 0.6 interceptions, 2.1 clearances, 0.7 shots, 0.8 key passes and 0.7 dribbles per game in the 2019-20 Serie A campaign. He even interchanged possession with his teammates accurately after completing 87.8% of his attempted passes in top-flight football (stats via whoscored).
What Will The Brazilian Youngster Bring To St. James’ Park?
Rogerio has developed a habit of making some promising runs down the left flank and can get to the byline so that he can whip in some inviting crosses into the opponent’s six-yard box. The Brazilian starlet has transformed himself into a reliable defensive presence inside his half as he is good at reading the danger that enables him to pull off a few crucial clearances for his side.
However, the talented full-back still has a long way to go before he is ready to feature at the highest level week in week out. For the time being, Rogerio could serve as a decent short-term solution to Steve Bruce’s left-back headaches at Tyneside.
The Magpies do not have any natural left-backs in their squad at the moment, so recruiting someone like Rogerio will be a welcome and much-needed addition to their first-team. He will bring some pace and defensive stability to St. James’ Park and could help the Premier League outfit steer clear of the dreaded drop zone in the upcoming campaign.
However, Newcastle would be better off opting for a full-back with a better injury history this summer because Rogerio could struggle to cope with the physical nature of English football if Bruce can lure him to Tyneside before the transfer window slams shut in October.
