Newcastle United will likely be in the transfer market this summer to bolster their impressive squad ahead of their return to the Champions League next season, after qualifying for the first time in two decades.
Whilst Eddie Howe will be thrilled with the rapid progress and success the players have displayed over the last campaign, there will be no room for sentiment when it comes to competing at the highest level on the European stage with some of the biggest and most successful clubs in football.
In terms of quality squad depth, the Tynesiders have been riding their luck over the last 12 months with the attacking threat the only area of the pitch that boasts a number of players who have maintained the high standards that Howe has needed to successfully compete.
However, there is definitely room for improvement at every opportunity and Dan Ashworth will be tasked with the responsibility of bringing in new additions who can help Newcastle make the step-up to compete at the highest level consistently on both the European stage and in domestic competition.
One player who has been linked this week with a potential £70m move to the North East is RB Leipzig star Dominik Szoboszlai, a versatile attacker who can adopt a number of roles in the advanced positions on the pitch to offer Howe another modern multi-dimensional threat.
Who is Dominik Szoboszlai?
The 22-year-old has been attracting attention from not only Newcastle but league rivals Liverpool this summer, and it's not hard to see why both Howe and Jurgen Klopp – who share a similar attacking-minded philosophy – are taking an interest in the young talent.
Szoboszlai has taken on a number of positions successfully over his short career so far, most commonly featuring in central midfield, attacking midfield, left midfield, right wing and left wing with 26 appearances or more in each, demonstrating his unique versatility on the pitch.
However, considering the Hungary international is incredibly prolific in providing goal contributions – with 64 goals and 73 assists tallied up over 226 career appearances to date – it is clear that his best attributes are found in front of goal.
As a result, Howe could form an unstoppable partnership between Szoboszlai and Newcastle's popular striker Alexander Isak with the pair combining their incredible skill sets to cause nightmares for opponents in both the Premier League and Champions League next season.
Isak has taken the top flight by storm since arriving last summer and despite a slow start has shown glimpses of his explosive talent that prompted the Magpies to splash £63m on the Swedish striker, with a goal contribution tallied up every 141 minutes so far which has helped Newcastle achieve their European dreams.
On top of that, the 23-year-old plays a unique role using his pace and stamina to offer something completely different to his position competitor Callum Wilson, with the England star adopting a more classic number nine role as a target man whilst Isak gets up and down the pitch to drive the ball into dangerous positions.
The Swede ranks in the top 20% of his positional peers across the top five European leagues for progressive carries, progressive passes, tackles and successful take-ons, further demonstrating his unorthodox approach to the striker role which could see him become an ideal partner for Szoboszlai.
The RB Leipzig ace – dubbed a "generational talent" by journalist Marcel Moeller – ranks in the top 20% for his progressive passes like Isak, but ranks much higher in the top 9% for shot-creating actions proving that he could provide some much-needed creativity to really get the best from the Toon striker next season.
With that being said, it would be a big coup if Ashworth could complete the signing of Szoboszlai this summer as he could not only boost goal contributions next season but bring attributes that could improve the play of those around him too.
