Why Ibrahima Sissoko would be a solid signing for Newcastle United

According to Sun, Newcastle United are plotting a £13m January swoop for Strasbourg midfielder Ibrahima Sissoko.

A product of the Stade Brest academy, Ibrahima Sissoko, 22, joined Strasbourg last summer and managed 32 Ligue 1 appearances in his debut season, scoring three goals and assisting twice. The France Under-21 international has hit the ground running this campaign and has played in nine league games as well as four Europa League fixtures so far.

The report adds that the 22-year-old enforcer will now be allowed to discuss personal terms with Steve Bruce’s side ahead of a January move as the clubs are close to agreeing on a fee.

Newcastle United have endured a poor start to the season under Steve Bruce and currently find themselves just a point above the relegation zone. Despite bringing in some players during the summer, Bruce hasn’t got the desired results. Clearly, the Magpies boss is aware of the fact that his squad needs more reinforcements in order to beat the relegation this campaign.

Bruce has been relying on the Longstaff brothers in recent games following Isaac Hayden’s sending off against Leicester City a few weeks ago. He doesn’t have enough backup and Sean Longstaff’s red card against Wolves exposed the team’s weaknesses.

Newcastle released Mohamed Diame in the summer but failed to bring in a replacement, leaving Bruce to work with very limited options in central midfield.

Jonjo Shelvey has been in and out of the team this season, while Ki Sung-yueng hasn’t lived up to the expectations of the St. James’ Park faithful following his switch from Swansea City last year.

Hence, signing Ibrahima Sissoko makes absolute sense for the Toon Army. Standing at 6ft 4in tall, Sissoko is a defensive midfielder by trade but can also play in central midfield and on the right flank.

In terms of attributes, the 22-year-old is a decent passer of the ball, having achieved a 84.5% pass completion rate in all competitions this campaign. He averages 1.4 tackles, 1 interception, 0.8 clearances and 1.9 fouls per game. As he operates in the holding role, Sissoko often tends to commit fouls in order to break the opposition’s advances. [Courtesy: WhoScored.com]

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The 22-year-old is capable of augmenting the midfield with his solid passing ability, thus making him a well-rounded midfielder.

Verdict

Sissoko could turn out to be an excellent addition to the Newcastle midfield. He has the talent to succeed in the Premier League, as evident from the statistics mentioned above.