Following the return to action in the Bundesliga, one of the players to catch the eye has been Borussia Moenchengladbach forward Alassane Plea.
In their most recent outing, a 4-1 thrashing of Union Berlin, the Frenchman scored his 10th goal of the season and notched his seventh and eighth assists of another impressive campaign since his arrival from Nice in 2018.
Things might have been so different that summer had Rafa Benitez got his way, but Newcastle United ultimately missed on Plea and their loss has been Gladbach’s gain.
However, it could yet be a case of better late than never with the Magpies rumoured to finally get their man once the club takeover by Saudi Arabia’s PiF is complete.
One of the most exciting aspects of the new ownership is the prospect of players like Plea coming in and helping the club return to the exciting, attack-minded philosophy the Toon Army used to take so much pride in.
This season, their problems with strikers have been all too clear. Summer signing Joelinton has found the back of the next just three times, and only one of those goals has come in the Premier League.
In addition to the £40m man failing to find any sort of form, Andy Carroll’s injury-hit return has barely got off the ground.
So with Dwight Gayle also misfiring, Miguel Almiron is the club’s top scorer this season with a modest six goals in all competitions, but with only two in the league.
In such circumstances, it is no surprise that Newcastle are joint lowest scorers with just 25 goals from 29 games.
According to the Premier League website, they are also fourth lowest in terms of shots taken with 300, and just 97 of those were on target - an average of 32.3%.
If Newcastle were to finally get their hands on Plea, he would bring a much-needed directness and flexibility to their forward line.
Capable of operating out wide as well as through the middle, he plays off the shoulder of the last defender to peel away and find space in the centre, but is also adept at holding the ball up to bring team-mates, such as Marcus Thuram, into play.
One of his big strengths, however, is his willingness to take on a shot, and not just speculatively either, with almost one in two of his efforts this season at least hitting the target.
According to CIES Football Observatory, Plea’s 70 shots attempted in the Bundesliga is the fourth most of any player, leaving him only behind Robert Lewandowski, Timo Warner and Serge Gnabry. And 48.6% of his shots are on target - only Werner has a better record.
There is a variety to Plea’s goals too. He is willing to take on long shots as well as gobbling up chances in and around the opposition six-yard box too.
It remains to be seen whether Newcastle will revive their interest in Plea, but the numbers certainly suggest that he would be a welcome addition to their misfiring front line.
