Why Newcastle United must go all out for Ademola Lookman
According to Sky Sports, Newcastle United have held discussions with RB Leipzig over a potential loan move for Ademola Lookman.
Lookman, 22, signed a five-year deal at Leipzig last summer after having first impressed during a 2017/18 loan spell at the club. At that time, he scored 5 goals and assisted 4 in just 11 Bundesliga games and left a lasting impression in Germany.
However, the report suggests that Lookman wants to leave the club just six months after signing permanently from Everton due to a lack of first-team opportunities. This time around, he has featured in only 3 league games and one Champions League fixture.
He has fallen down the pecking order under Leipzig boss Julian Nagelsmann. The Waterloo FC youth product is on the verge of moving out on a loan with Newcastle United progressing to acquire his services.
Meanwhile, the Magpies once again showed their inconsistency in recent weeks and have slipped to 13th in the league standings. They were looking good mid-way through the season by staying in the top half of the table but haven’t managed to cling to that spot due to a lack of intensity.
Steve Bruce has a lot of work to do this month and he must bring in reinforcements for several areas on the pitch.
A winger must be Bruce’s first priority since they have lacked depth in the wider areas. Allan Saint-Maximin looked to be going strong but an injury put him on the sidelines for quite a long time than expected. Though he is set to return in a few weeks’ time, there would be doubts over his fitness and he will surely need time to speed up.
The manager has used Paraguayan Miguel Almiron mostly through the centre as an attacking midfielder and this leaves the Toons with only Christian Atsu as an option on the wings. Thus, by adding a winger to his, Bruce would be able to solve a bigger part of their problems.
In that case, Ademola Lookman would perfectly fit the bill at Newcastle and a loan move for the England U21 international must be done at the earliest.
The 22-year-old was very impressive in his loan spell at Leipzig, who played in a narrow 4-2-2-2 style. Lookman’s addition to their squad provided a way to change the manner in which the German outfit attacked by offering treat from the wide areas.
His style is direct and despite starting as an attacking midfielder, Lookman had brought the best out of him by playing on the left side of the attacking ranks. He is dangerous in a 1v1 situation and has the ability to get past defenders with ease by combing his pace and skill-set at the same time.
Lookman would provide a different dimension to Newcastle’s game if a deal goes through. This would help the Magpies overcome their issues in the attacking department.
Verdict
The youngster is filled with truckloads of potential and he would certainly add firepower to Newcastle’s dull attack, given that he gets opportunities to start regularly.
Therefore, the Toons must be ready to grab him on loan in the smallest of chances.