An update has emerged on Newcastle United and their interest in signing Conor Gallagher in the summer transfer window...

What's the talk?

Journalist Dean Jones has claimed that the England international is a player that the Magpies are looking at, as Dan Ashworth plots further moves ahead of Thursday's deadline.

He told GIVEMESPORT: “A midfielder is definitely one on the radar – Conor Gallagher.

“They’re just one of about 10 clubs that are looking at Conor Gallagher at the moment, so we can’t get too excited about it.”

The Chelsea man has reportedly been valued at £40m and it remains to be seen whether the Toon are willing to meet their demands.

Big Sean Longstaff upgrade

By snapping up a deal to sign Gallagher in the coming days, Newcastle could land a big upgrade on current midfielder Sean Longstaff.

The Toon academy product was pressed into action in the starting XI against Wolves due to an injury to Bruno Guimaraes and his inclusion highlighted the need for reinforcements in that position.

Longstaff has averaged a SofaScore rating of 6.58 in the Premier League this term, after averaging a score of 6.63 last season, and has lost a whopping 71% of his ground duels.

He ranks 16th in the squad for ratings in 2022/23 and finished 23rd in 2021/22, which shows that he has struggled to make his mark when he has been given opportunities - scoring one and assisting one in the last 13 months or so.

Gallagher, meanwhile, averaged a sublime SofaScore rating of 7.08 in the top-flight on loan at Crystal Palace last term, scoring eight goals and assisting three.

Ex-Sheffield United midfielder Mark Duffy dubbed him a "pressing machine" and the statistics back that up. He ranks in the  94th percentile among players in his position in Europe's top five leagues over the last 365 days in terms of pressures per 90 - making 24.76.

6.81 of those attempts to press the opposition come in their third of the pitch, which places him in the 98th percentile.

This fits in with the aggressive pressing style that the manager wants from his team and is ahead of Longstaff's 23.75 pressures per 90, with only 3.58 of his coming in the opposition's third.

These statistics show that Gallagher presses higher up the pitch and is better at forcing the issue within close proximity to the goal, which could then create counter-attacking chances for the forwards to benefit from.

Therefore, the Chelsea man would be a huge upgrade on Longstaff for a number of reasons. His statistics suggest that he would offer more quality on the ball in the final third, that he would press in more beneficial areas of the pitch, and that he has the consistency to perform at a higher standard week-in-week-out.