Newcastle United face a huge blow in their pursuit of Sporting CP centre-half Ruben Semedo as La Liga side Villarreal reportedly becomes the latest team to join the bandwagon aiming to land the defender. The young defender has been a hot prospect in the upcoming summer transfer window and with his first team action reduced in the second-half of the last season, a move away from Portugal is possible.
Rafael Benitez is once again eyeing early buys in the transfer market, which helped them get the best of the crop last season and eventually winning the Championship. And despite the tag of a newly-promoted Championship side stuck on their heads, the Spaniard is leaving no stones unturned in pursuing the necessary options.
Unlike the other two promoted sides, Brighton & Hove Albion and Huddersfield Town, the Magpies are financially strong and could help their manager bring some of the coveted talents across Europe. They have already secured a permanent deal for winger Christian Atsu from Premier League Champions Chelsea, which only reflects their activeness in the window; and despite having Europa League participant, Everton, as a competitor in Semedo’s pursuit, Benitez is confident they can net in the centre-half.
Benitez has always relied on youngsters to take his side to the next level. Newcastle was led to Premier League by 23-year-old Jamaal Lascelles, and Semedo’s signing will be a continuation of that trend. Touted as one of the next big things in Portugal, Semedo started the season as the first-choice for Sporting Lisbon before falling down the pecking order owing to underwhelming displays.
Yet another example of Sporting Lisbon’s renowned academy, Semedo, unfortunately, took his time to make an impact on the coaches at the junior level and broke into the first team rather late than was expected. However, his progress wasn’t hindered, thanks to the many loan stints he had been for the under-age teams. They include second-tier Spanish side CF Reus Deportiu, followed by Portuguese club Vitória Setúbal FC.
His time finally came as Sporting took notice of his potential three years too late to give him the break last season. He has managed 24 appearances so far in Ligue NOS but was quite a regular in the Champions League. However, following Sporting’s elimination from the group stages, his chances dwindled.
With World Cup coming up next year, Semedo would definitely like to be in the limelight, something in which Everton’s Europa League campaign could greatly contribute. It surely puts Newcastle in a disadvantageous position for obvious reasons.
