What Makes Sam Clucas The Ideal Partner For Jonjo Shelvey In The Newcastle United Midfield
Newcastle United manager Rafael Benitez is stepping up his pursuit of Hull City midfielder Sam Clucas according to reports from the Sun. The Magpies boss is keen on bolstering his options in the middle of the park ahead of their big return to the Premier League and has identified the 26-year old as a viable target to bring to the St. James’ Park.
After enduring a frustrating start to the summer window, Newcastle have kicked things up a notch over the past week or so. The Tyneside outfit completed the transfers of winger Jacob Murphy from Norwich City and full-back Javier Manquillo from Atletico Madrid as well, to add to the signings of Christian Atsu and Florian Lejeune.
With the season less than a month away from starting, the club are keen on strengthening the squad as fast as possible, in order to be able to compete on a strong footing upon their return to the top-flight.
The midfield area is something that the manager will be intent on reinforcing in the summer. In his preferred 4-2-3-1 setup, Benitez picks Jonjo Shelvey as one of the midfield pivots, who will perform a box-to-box role, while he will be partnered by a slightly more defensive-minded midfielder. Last season, the manager relied on using Isaac Hayden extensively in such a role. But his lack of experience in the Premier League is something that will play on Rafa’s mind.
The other options in the ranks – Mo Diame and Jack Colback can hardly be considered reliable, making the arrival of a new midfielder of paramount importance for the Tyneside outfit.
This is where Sam Clucas will fit into the scheme of things at the St. James’ Park. The 26-year old may not be known for his attacking output but adds a lot of bite and mettle to the team in the middle of the park. Last season, he was one of the most consistent players for the Tigers and had a strong season on a personal level, despite the club going down to the Championship. The Englishman scored thrice and set up a solitary goal in 41 games in all competitions.
Clucas’ ability to read the play and stop it from building up; with timely tackles and interceptions is something that will add a lot of resilience to the Newcastle midfield. He possesses great levels of energy and has an exceptional work-rate that allows him to run up and down the pitch, meaning that he can join his teammates in the final-third if and when needed, and sit deep to screen the back four, depending on the situation. His tenacity in the midfield, combined with a solid technical ability and a good range of distribution make him an ideal foil for Shelvey.
The fact that he proved himself in the Premier League stages last season and came out as one of the top players for his team indicates that he has the pedigree to perform at this level. At 26, he still has his best years of ahead him and has shown all the right things to believe that he has the ability to be a good player for Newcastle.