Scout Report – Jakub Jugas
Newcastle United boss Rafa Benitez is intent on continuing their good run in the Premier League, and has identified 25-year-old central defender Jakub Jugas as a prime January target.
Jugas is currently playing for SK Slavia Praha in the Czech First League. Renowned for his power and tackling ability, the defender joined Slavia on a three-year deal in May 2017. With less than three months to go until the madness of the next transfer window, the Magpies are understood to be keeping a keen eye on Jakub Jugas as a potential £2m recruit.
Benitez is believed to be mighty impressed with the way Jugas is playing for his club. Scouts from Newcastle have been tracking the player and the reports are quite positive, which should propel Benitez towards making a January move.
History
Born in Mlada Boleslav, Jugas has established himself as a key member of the Czech Republic squad. An U-21 international, Jugas has made a couple of recent squads but is yet to play for the senior national side. However, his contributions have been noteworthy since he was a part of the U-19 Czech Republic squad that won silver in the 2011 UEFA Under-19 European Championship.
Having played all of his club football in the domestic Czech Republic league, the defender won their FA Cup with FK Fastav Zlin last season. Interestingly, a lot of domestic clubs were vying for his signature, following which he eventually signed for Slavia Praha.
Style of Play
Although he is a natural centre-back, Jugas has also played as a right-back on several occasions. He is strong when it comes to dribbling and has a top-notch passing accuracy. However, he is aerially weak, having won only one duel in the air in 15 appearances for the club across competitions this season.
Jugas’ Future
After impressing for his club so far, the player’s value is said to have risen to around the £2m mark, obviously still a bargain price if Rafa Benitez decides to add him to the squad in January.
Centre-back is a position in which Newcastle are arguably most well stocked. Jamaal Lascelles is as impressive as ever while summer-signing Florian Lejeune will come back into the starting XI at some stage. Chancel Mbemba is the Magpies’ fourth-choice centre-back. What’s more, Mikel Merino, Isaac Hayden and Paul Dummett can all play at centre-half.
A future at Newcastle can definitely improve his chances of getting noticed since they are in an exciting transition period under Benitez. Having said that, the player will find it difficult to clock regular playing time, so it remains to be seen if the player will be open to sacrifice game time to join Newcastle.