Raphinha among 18 players named in comprehensive scouting list

Dedicated Newcastle United journalist Chris Waugh has put together a comprehensive guide to what the club are searching for this summer.

After ‘conversations over several months with senior figures at the club’, Waugh has written an exhaustive piece for The Athletic about Newcastle’s quest to buy at least five new players this summer, with the emphasis on ‘size, speed and athleticism’.

Thankfully they are also targeting technical excellence and James Maddison (1) is the most prominent name on that list as ‘Eddie Howe believes the 26-year-old can add a fresh attacking dimension – and critically, a greater goal threat – to his team’.

Maddison has been wildly overperforming on his xG this season and although Miguel Almiron joins him on that list, his numbers do seem unsustainable.

So who are the other 17 names mentioned by Waugh?

Let’s start with left-back, where Arsenal full-back Kieran Tierney (2) (valued today at around £35-40m) is joined by Renan Lodi (3), currently on loan at Nottingham Forest, and Fulham man Antonee Robinson (4), who was frankly terrible v Arsenal at the weekend but will not be the last to befall that fate.

In midfield, there are some doubts whether Newcastle remain interested in Maddison’s Leicester teammate Youri Tielemans (5) but the report seems more certain that Bristol City’s Alex Scott (6) and Chelsea man Conor Gallagher (7) remain on the list.

When it comes to holding midfielders, Brighton’s Moises Caicedo (8) is admired but might be out of Newcastle’s reach, while Ajax man Edson Alvarez (9), Manchester United’s Scott McTominay (10) – who has a few weeks to prove his worth to his current club – Fulham’s Joao Palhinha (11), Everton and Belgium man Amadou Onana (12) and Wolves captain Ruben Neves (13) are mentioned, though the latter is laughably dismissed as lacking athleticism.

Moving up the pitch, Newcastle are said to be targeting adaptable forwards rather than out-and-out strikers, with Nico Williams (14) seen as a viable alternative to Anthony Gordon in January and still on a list. Watford man Joao Pedro (15) and Nottingham Forest forward Brennan Johnson (16) also fit into the same bracket of young. exciting forwards with potential.

And then we get to the dream signings: ‘Less attainable names are Khvicha Kvaratskhelia (17) of Napoli, who is wanted by Europe’s biggest clubs and will be extremely expensive, and Barcelona’s Raphinha (18), who Newcastle enquired about while he was…