Dream, realistic, wildcard: Three ways Newcastle could line up by Friday

After 14 years Newcastle United finally look set to break their transfer record.

The Magpies are closing in on a deal to sign Atlanta United playmaker Miguel Almiron, who will join the club for a fee in the region of £20m, surpassing the current transfer record of £16.5m paid for Michael Owen in 2005.

The acquisition of a creative midfielder presents the opportunity for Rafa Benitez to fortify Newcastle’s goal-shy frontline, but the Spaniard has also been in the market for a central midfielder and a left-back.

Andreas Samaris is currently in talks to complete a temporary switch to Tyneside from Benfica, while the club have reportedly made enquiries regarding the availability of both Youri Tielemans and Antonio Barreca from Monaco.

This type of astir activity has been scarce under the ownership of Mike Ashley, and while two or three key signings will certainly alleviate some frustrations at St James’ Park, the mood will likely remain sour.

That said, with a busy couple of days in store for Newcastle, who look intent on bolstering their squad for the forthcoming months, how could they line up come Friday?

Dream: Midfield in motion

Benitez has typically deployed a five-man defence this season, moving away from his favoured 4-4-1-1 formation from last campaign; but instead of plugging discernible gaps, the Magpies have been less resilient, and defensively vulnerable  – the club conceded just 47 goals last season, while they have already shipped in 32.

Why? Well, Benitez has been confronted with some serious central midfield issues, with Jonjo Shelvey, Mohamed Diame and Ki Sung-yueng all currently sidelined through injury, forcing the Spaniard to explore other tactical options, and tinker with his line-ups.

With the signings of Tielemans, Samaris and Almiron, Newcastle would have the perfect midfield triumvirate, combining passing elegance, with hard-hitting tenacity, and creative ability. Tielemans would offer the passing range – no Monaco midfielder has completed more passes (909) or created more key chances (19) than Tielemans in Ligue 1 this season – while Samaris would provide the aggression, and Almiron, the panache.

Samaris would form a creator-destroyer partnership with the Belgian, while Almiron would operate as the release-valve, looking to make calculated bursts into opposition territory while spraying wide passes to Ayoze Perez and Matt Ritchie, or looking to make defence-splitting passes to Salomon Rondon.

Realistic: Five-man flexibility  

Benitez has often been hamstrung by the balance sheets during his tenure on Tyneside; the recruitment of three of four major signings is unheard of for the club, and therefore, unlikely. However, moves for Almiron and Samaris are gaining serious traction and both look odds-on to join.

And after the club’s incredible exploits on home soil against reigning champions Man City on Tuesday, Benitez will probably have reservations about abandoning his five-man defence.

Therefore, this line-up seems more realistic for Newcastle, with Semaris forming an industrious acquaintanceship with the tenacious Diame. Sean Longstaff and Isaac Hayden worked well in a double-pivot against City, but long-term, this more experienced midfield combination may be preferable for Benitez.

Almiron is also adept at playing from the wing, so he might be converted to an inside-forward – a role he has played previously with Atlanta United. Should Benitez persist with his current system, then there is no room for a No 10, and hence the positioning of Almiron out wide.

However, there is some space for adaptation: Almiron could shift into the middle, allowing Ritchie to overlap while Paul Dummett moves across to left-back, making it a 4-2-3-1. This system allows for considerable flexibility which could work in Newcastle’s favour depending on how the match is panning out.

Wildcard: False 9 flair 

This formation would allow Benitez to revert back to the 4-4-1-1 system that proved so effective last season, adding a much greater depth of creativity and technical efficiency across the pitch.

Here Almiron would operate as a false 9, and having previously played through the middle for Atlanta United, he should have no issue acclimatising to the demands of the role; he would look to drop deep and stretch the defence, while Kenedy and Ritchie make intelligent, overlapping runs.

Perez would move back to his natural position as a central attacking midfielder, looking to dovetail behind Almiron and link up with the Paraguayan maestro – Benitez would also have the luxury of being able to swap between Almiron and Perez throughout the match in this system.

Samaris and Diame, again, would form a tenacious and energetic midfield duo, while – apart from Barreca – the defence remains the same from the side who beat Man Utd 1-0 last season – Samaris would offer the requisite protection in front of the back-four, anchoring the midfield while procuring the ball so the more creative players have license to thrive further forward.

This formation would give Newcastle a completely new dimension to their game, having mainly played with a target man throughout the season.

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