Why Newcastle would sign a £42m midfielder to replace Archie Gray

There’s no getting away from it, recruitment has been poor at Newcastle United in recent seasons, and last summer proved particularly painful for those at St James’ Park.

The marquee of Anthony Elanga, Yoane Wissa and Nick Woltemade have all been overlooked, the expensive trio have combined to score just nine Premier League goals between them, eight of which have come from the young German.

The Magpies’ club-record addition at least reached double figures by the end of his first campaign in all competitions, although he has scored just two goals in 2026, since enduring a difficult World Cup amid Germany’s shock.

That doesn’t mean Eddie Howe and co should simply cut their losses and move on, but lessons need to be learned in the current window, and the club can’t afford another scattergun summer.

Newcastle are in ongoing talks to sign the World Cup star this summer

It’s fair to say it’s not a happy camp at St James’ Park, as Sandro Tonali looks set to follow Mateus Fernandes to Tottenham Hotspur, while the talismanic captain, Bruno Guimaraes, is attracting huge interest from Arsenal.

Losing even one of the pair would be considered a blow, leaving Howe in need of significant reinforcements in the midfield ahead of the upcoming campaign.

However, in more good news, it seems that work is continuing on that front, with Fabrizio Romano revealing that the Magpies have submitted an offer to sign Spurs star Archie Gray.

The request has been rejected, although the Englishman is not the only player on the agenda, with the Daily Mail reporting that the Tynesiders are in ‘ongoing discussions’ over a deal for Swiss singer, Johan Manzambi.

The suggestion is that the Magpies are ‘forging ahead’ in their bid to sign the 20-year-old, as well as other targets, and the Freiburg star is said to have a ‘bright future’ ahead.

No asking price for the youngster has been mentioned, although earlier claims suggest he could cost around £42m.

Why signing Manzambi would be better than Gray

With Tonali likely to look elsewhere, Gray’s tricky little bid is a shrewd move, as the former Leeds United man has been a real shining light during a dismal 2025/26 campaign in north London.

While he has faded from view following the appointment of Roberto De Zerbi, the 20-year-old has been a bright spark under both Thomas Frank and Igor Tudor, memorably looking like a “young Declan Rice” following a dominant display against Atletico Madrid in the Champions League.

Finding such talent would be a case of Lewis Hall or Tino Livramento marking the two, bringing out a top England star for Howe to nurture and develop on Tyneside.

However, could Manzambi be in charge of an even bigger coup, given his impressive background?

According to commentator Spencer Mossman, the Swiss hero is arguably “the most versatile U21 player in the world right now”, his ability to shine in a variety of roles, be it number ten, number eight or on the flanks.

The ‘Swiss-Army Knife’ of a player, if you like, Manzambi is perhaps still the strongest as a striking midfielder, of high quality, who has scored three goals for his country in the World Cup.

This comes after he was named player of the year in the Europa League last season, playing a key role in getting Freiburg to the showpiece, before they eventually lost to Aston Villa.

In the Bundesliga last season as well, he scored and assisted nine goals, created six ‘big chances’ and averaged 1.2 successful dribbles per game, representing such a force, capable of doing everything in the middle of the park.

As for Gray, having returned to his rightful position as a full-back after playing at right-back and center-back, the young England international scored and assisted just four goals, creating just three big chances while averaging 0.3 clearances.

Now, that may be affected by Gray operating more as a number six than a number eight, although Manzambi has also criticized him defensively, bettering the Spurs man in both tackles and blocks per game (2.3 vs 1.2), and possession per game (4.1 vs 2.4).

Overall it was a good season for Gray in N17, although he started 19 and 18 league games respectively, in the last two campaigns, he was yet to play a regular role with the Lilywhites.

Manzambi, on the other hand, was at his best for Freiburg last season, starting 26 Bundesliga games, while scoring and assisting four goals in 13 Europa League games.

Given the last man’s remarkable versatility and ‘unique’ quality too, he could be the best player to pick up, though either way, it would be hoped that Howe would put together a new, fresh-looking side at St James’.