Leganes midfielder Gabriel Appelt Pires has emerged as a transfer target for Newcastle, with the Magpies hoping to land the Brazilian on a loan deal until the end of the season, with an option to secure him on a permanent transfer should the club return to the Premier League.
With just a few hours until the end of the January transfer window, Rafa Benitez is yet to make an addition to his squad as they edge closer to promotion. But as the neck-to-neck competition with Brighton at the top of the table gets tougher, the Spanish manager is keen to land quality reinforcements in order to bolster his side’s chances of winning the Championship title.
Gabriel would definitely make a great addition to Newcastle’s ambitions if he is secured from Leganes in the coming days, and the 23-year-old midfielder will no doubt be a good fit for the Saint James’ Park outfit.
The former Juventus youth player knows all about dragging a side to the top flight, and while Newcastle don’t need any dragging to return to the Premier League next season, they can do with someone who has had the experience of helping a little side like Leganes win promotion.
Gabriel played with the capital club side at the Segunda division last season on his 4th loan from Juve, and his 7 goals in 37 fixtures ensured Leganes secured their first ever La Liga status.
This term, Leganes have been able to weather the storm and despite being just a spot above relegation zone after 19 La Liga games, they are 5 points away from number 18 and just 4 points adrift number 14 on the log, meaning their survival chances are very realistic, and it’s why the club has stalled as per letting one of their best players go.
Gabriel has featured in all but 1 of the team’s La Liga campaign, starting 17 in the process. He has 2 goals, an assist and he has created 21 goalscoring chances. The midfielder has completed 63% (372) of his passes, averaged 2 defensive actions per game and has won 41% of his duels.
His influence and numbers for Leganes show he can be of good use for Newcastle in the middle of the pack. With Benitez left to sweat for a capable replacement for the recently suspended Shelvey, and with the English midfielder still not with a standout midfield partner, Gabriel’s arrival can put things in shape on those fronts.
The Brazilian isn’t able to play in centre and attacking midfield roles alone, his versatility has seen play further up front as a makeshift centre-forward, while he is also capable of playing on the left of the midfield as a winger.
Being able to get deployed in as many as 4 positions would sure be a source of additional backups and options for Benitez. It means players like Gouffran and Gayle can have quality covers available for them, helping to reduce the burden on them and also allowing for flexible formations on the pitch during the course of a game that needs tactical tweaks.
Gabriel definitely has all the potentials to be a good buy if this deal is secured.