Newcastle keen on Konstantinos Mavropanos | OneFootball

An update has emerged regarding Newcastle’s plans to sign Arsenal loanee Konstantinos Mavropanos.

What’s the talk?

According to German outlet Sport Bild, via West Ham Zone, the Magpies are eyeing up a deal to sign the centre-back, currently on loan at Stuttgart, to bolster their squad.

The report claims that the Hammers are also keen on him, with the Bundesliga side expected to sign him permanently before demanding £21.3m from interested parties.

Would Mavropanos be a good signing?

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Get it done

PIF must splash out the £21.3m that Stuttgart want in order to bring him to Newcastle, whether that happens in January or in the summer. The form he is producing in the Bundesliga suggests that he could be a terrific signing for Eddie Howe’s team and strengthen an area of the side which is in dire need of additional help.

Defending has been a significant weak point for the Magpies this season and the signing of a new centre-back could help to alleviate that issue, which Howe would surely love. Newcastle have conceded the most goals in the Premier League (34) and are currently 19th in the table, with goal difference the only statistic preventing them from being below Norwich.

Mavropanos has been outstanding at centre-back for Stuttgart. He has averaged a SofaScore rating of 7.41 in the Bundesliga, starting 13 games in the league. The 24-year-old is averaging 4.1 tackles and interceptions, along with an impressive six clearances, per game, showing that he has the quality to make consistent and crucial interventions at the back.

Borussia Monchengladbach chief Pellegrino Matarazzo previously hailed him as a gladiator and called him a ‘tough dog’. He said: “He’s our gladiator! He’s a monster in terms of physique. And when he makes a mistake, he hums around some Greek swear words. I like that. He’s just a tough dog.”

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Howe will surely love for Newcastle to sign Mavropanos, as his statistics in Germany and these quotes from Matarazzo suggest that he is a strong centre-back who could come in and improve the club’s defensive record. The Magpies are conceding too many goals and the Greek beast has shown that he is capable of performing consistently at a top level this season.