Which English football club, including Newcastle United, has the best academy is one of the most captivating debates. In recent years, Newcastle has produced some outstanding players. Most notably, young Lewis Miley made his debut for the Magpies in the starting lineup last season and has since established himself as a key member of the squad.
Arsenal and Manchester United are two of the favorites to win this specific title. Over the years, the Red Devils have produced several renowned players, including the Class of ’92 and the Busby Babes. These days, Carrington is represented by players like Marcus Rashford, Alejandro Garnacho, and Kobbie Mainoo.
Bukayo Saka and Emile Smith Rowe are two examples of Arsenal’s renowned Hale End academy players, and Reiss Nelson was also a member of the Gunners’ squad the previous season.
Another team with a well-known academy in England is Chelsea. Cobham has also produced several legendary players; Tammy Abraham and Mason Mount, two of their academy alumni, were on the 2021 Champions League winning team.
Now, with the transfer window here, one of those players in that famous Chelsea side has been linked with Newcastle in recent days, and they could look to bring him in to strengthen their side ahead of next season.
Newcastle target Serie A defender
This player, Fikayo Tomori, is a graduate of the Cobham Academy and currently plays for AC Milan, one of the biggest teams in Italy. The England international could now rejoin Newcastle to return to the Premier League after leaving Chelsea for Milan in 2021.
It is unclear at this point whether a deal will be reached between the two parties, but a report from The Guardian claims that ‘communication has been made with Milan’ over a possible deal to bring Tomori to St James’ Park this summer.
According to the source, Milan is considering selling the English center back only if they receive a bid of at least £40 million. They clarify that while Newcastle is undoubtedly interested, it is currently “unclear whether a compromise can be reached.”
Milan is undoubtedly eager to reach the £40 million mark in order to secure a profit on any possible trade for Tomori. After a loan period, they paid Chelsea £25 million to obtain his services three years prior, so if they were to make an additional £40 million or more on the player, they would profit handsomely.
How Tomori would fit in at Newcastle
Despite missing a fair chunk of the season due to a hamstring injury, Tomori featured 26 times in Serie A for Milan last season, chipping in with four goals. He helped to keep an impressive seven clean sheets out of Milan’s 13 in that time, too, as per Sofascore.
| Most Serie A clean sheets 2023/24 | |
|---|---|
| Number of clean sheets | Club |
| 21 | Inter |
| 18 | Torino |
| 17 | Juventus, Bologna |
| 15 | Atalanta |
| 13 | Milan, Lazio |
| Stats from Sofascore | |
Football journalist Matteo Bonetti described Tomori as “masterful” in December 2023, praising him for the way he was seen “commanding the back line” for the Rossoneri, and this is certainly reflected in his stats.
Tomori’s ability to carry the ball is one aspect of his game that really sticks out. Based on statistics, the 26-year-old was among the top 16 ball-carrying defenders in Serie A last season, averaging 1.50 progressive carries per ninety minutes, according to FBref. In the latter third of carries, the defender averaged 3.00, excellent stats that put him in the top 1% of Serie A defenders.
Not only that, the Canadian-born defender is very imposing in the air, standing at 6 foot. On average last season, Tomori won three aerial duels per 90 minutes, which gave him an average win rate of 75%.
Tomori could pair well with one of Eddie Howe’s first-choice defenders, Sven Botman. The Dutchman has been out injured with an anterior cruciate ligament injury twice, and will not return until October 2024. However, the 24-year-old could strike a good partnership with Tomori when he is fit from his injury.
First of all, because Tomori is right-footed and Botman is left-footed, the two would make a great team. According to Sofascore, the Dutchman is quite calm when he has the ball. He completes 54.1 passes with an accuracy rate of 91% each game. Newcastle’s back four would be significantly improved by having two defenders with distinct strengths and a high level of composure when handling the ball.
His long stride makes him an excellent recovery defender who can cover territory fast. Botman recovers balls 4.1 times on average and clears 3.1 times on average each game. He is also a master in the air; during the previous season, he won two aerial duels on average each game.
There is little doubt that Tomori would be a good addition to the squad at St James’ Park. In the modern market, £40m is not too unreasonable, and he would bring great quality to Newcastle’s defence.
