Bayer Leverkusen’s Moussa Diaby has emerged as Newcastle’s top target

Talib Haider
By Talib Haider
5 Min Read

Newcastle are keen on Chelsea’s Callum Hudson-Odoi and Everton’s Anthony Gordon but Moussa Diaby of Bayer Leverkusen has emerged as their top target

The Magpies are doing whatever they can, to start an attacking revamp under Eddie Howe to avoid the blemishes from the later stages of the last season. They have been already linked with Chelsea’s young striker Armando Broja, and now the links have been with one of the top growing wingers in Europe – Moussa Diaby.

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According to the reports from a 90min Exclusive, Newcastle are preparing a huge bid for the French winger, in a potential move away from the Bundesliga outfits in Leverkusen. Since joining the German club from PSG in 2019, Diaby has been one of the few players to have started the majority of the games for the club. Not just that, he has also repaid the trust shown in him, by performing consistently enough!

Not a surprise to see transfermarkt valuing the player at a huge sum of around £54million – a fee that would shatter the Magpies’ transfer record. This is, indeed, due to Diaby’s blistering performances in the past- specifically his hot run of form in the last season. He scored 13 goals and contributed another 12 goals through assists in 32 league games in the 2021/22 season for Bayer Leverkusen. 

And now, him being linked with a move to the Premier League, should not come as a surprise either, because the young French winger has proved his worth- so much so that the 22-year-old Diaby has become an important part of Didier Deschamps French National Squad. 

HOW CAN NEWCASTLE BENEFIT FROM MOUSSA DIABY?

Moussa Diaby is a 22-year-old French ‘versatile’ winger. He came through the ranks of PSG, before finally showing his paces in the Bundesliga for Bayer Leverkusen. And up till the last season, Diaby played 124 games in total for the German side scoring a total of 35 goals and assisting another 37 goals. To think of it, at his age, these stats are truly remarkable. 

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Now the main thing to focus is on the word that is mentioned above, “versatile winger”. Well, it is nothing too complicated, all it means is that Diaby is a player who can well and truly operate from both sides of the pitch. So, it seemingly makes sense now that the Magpies are showing interest in him, because they already have another talented and versatile winger in Allan Saint-Maximin. Diaby’s addition could mean that from either flanks, there will be a repertoire of pace and skill up front in the attack. 

While there is a whole hype about ASM (shorthand for Saint-Maximin) in the PL, it is safe to say that the Frenchman has got it in his locker to challenge for the same hype. Moussa Diaby and Allan Saint-Maximin playing together, just the thought of it looks so fiery and dangerous at the same time. 

Author’s Take

For someone who has seen both of these players play, I could assure you that there is no shortage of talent here. People really talked about Adama Traore, and hyped him up when Wolves were literally asking for a crazy sum of around £100million just a few years back. Phew- you can take a min to let that sink in. Well, with all due respect to Traore and his transformation- where has the whole hype around him gone? Isn’t it weird that all of it just disappeared so quickly.

And it is not even his mistake, fans and Pundits alike start over-rating a player to such an extent that if he has a bad few games they will just forget about how good he really was!

So in respect to that, I think Moussa Diaby to Newcastle could blow the Premier League. It does not seem like it now, but in the long run, it is as perfect of a signing as it could possibly get. A mixture of pace, flashy skills, strength and stamina- that could be the easiest way of summarising the pair of Diaby and ASM. Hence, I personally think Newcastle should just trust the process and go for it.

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