Newcastle beating West Ham to sign this £15m midfield general would get the best out of Shelvey

Why Newcastle United should beat West Ham to sign Diego Demme

According to the Daily Mail, West Ham are interested in RB Leipzig midfielder Diego Demme. The 26-year-old German has been central to Leipzig’s rise in Europa over the last few seasons.

He has racked up more than 150 appearances for Leipzig since moving from Paderborn, while he even earned his first Germany cap last year. As per the report, Diego Demme is valued at around £15million.

Newcastle United should try to sign Diego Demme in January as they lack quality in the squad to sustain the challenges of the Premier League this season. The Magpies endured a disastrous start to the new season but have won the last two games to relieve some pressure off Rafael Benitez.

Two goals from Salomon Rondon, his first in the Premier League for Newcastle, helped his side to a valuable 2-1 victory over Bournemouth on Saturday. The Cherries pulled one back through Jefferson Lerma just before half-time, but Rafael Benitez’s team held on for only their second league win of the season.

Back-to-back victories in the league would give Newcastle a lot of confidence but there remain a lot of loopholes which Benitez should fill in January. And one position the Spanish tactician should strengthen is the midfield, which has lacked energy and dynamism so far this campaign.

Jonjo Shelvey, one of Newcastle’s main men in the engine room, has not been at his best this term. Although he is injured at the moment, when fit, the England international has failed to dominate games with his wide range of passing. It is an open secret that Shelvey needs a strong defensive midfielder alongside him to boss the games.

And that hasn’t been the case as Mohamed Diame has been worryingly off the pace. Diame, who will turn 32 in June, has not done the job of screening Newcastle’s backline efficiently, which has restricted Shelvey to stay more static to his position and not move forward to join the attacks frequently. As Diame continues to struggle this season, Benitez should splash the cash on another midfielder.

Diego Demme could be a wonderful addition for the Magpies. Demme is a diminutive midfield powerhouse with relentless energy and top work rate. He largely operates as a holding midfielder but can play in a number of positions in the midfield.

The German is a strong tackler, uses his intelligence to break the opposition’s play and allows the flair players to play their natural game.

Standing at 5ft 7in, Demme is not the tallest man on the pitch but he is certainly capable of dominating the opposition with his physicality. To go with his physicality, he is also a good reader of the game and rarely hesitates to stick his foot out when needed.

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That said, Newcastle should go all out to sign Diego Demme in January. The Magpies need quality as well as squad depth to stay in the Premier League and the German would be a fine addition to their squad.