Matthias Jaissle secured his first win in the Premier League for Newcastle United with a 2-0 win away at Tottenham Hotspur in North London on Saturday night.
Goals from Anthony Elanga and Yoane Wissa were enough to seal the three points for the away side, who also kept their first clean sheet of the campaign.
New signing Nico Gonzalez made his debut in the middle of the park after his move from Manchester City, and caught the eye by completing 94% of his attempted passes throughout the match.
Whilst the Spaniard produced a composed and reliable display in midfield for the Magpies, the club are still in need of their replacement for Bruno Guimaraes, who signed for Arsenal for £75m.
Why Newcastle still need to replace Bruno Guimaraes
Aladji Bamba, Sean Steur, and Gonzalez have all been brought in to bolster Jaissle’s options in the middle of the park, but none of them look like to deliver the kind of attacking quality that Guimaraes offered from that area of the pitch.
The Brazil international ended his career at St. James’ Park with a haul of 31 goals and 32 assists in 195 appearances in all competitions, including nine goals and six assists in the Premier League last season.
Guimaraes provided a regular threat at the top end of the pitch as both a scorer and a creator of goals, and Gonzalez is not likely to offer a similar level of quality in attack.
25/26 Premier League | Gonzalez | Guimaraes |
|---|---|---|
Appearances | 25 | 29 |
xG | 0.70 | 5.60 |
Goals | 0 | 9 |
Big chances created | 1 | 7 |
xA | 1.11 | 4.98 |
Assists | 0 | 5 |
The Spanish star is an outrageous talent, but not because of his ability to score and create goals. He is a metronomic number six, as evidenced by his 94% pass accuracy against Spurs, who wants to dictate matches and keep play ticking over.
Therefore, the Magpies still need to sign a central midfielder who can offer goals and assists as a direct replacement for Guimaraes before the window slams shut.
How Newcastle can finally replace Bruno Guimaraes
With only a couple of days to go until the window closes, the club are said to be looking at a player who could be Jaissle’s own version of the Arsenal star.
According to OnTheMinute, Newcastle United are one of a number of teams in the race to sign Ajax central midfielder Abdellah Ouazane before the end of the summer transfer window.
The report claims that Spanish giants Barcelona have recently joined the queue of teams hoping to land the 17-year-old talent, alongside the Magpies and Manchester United.
It adds, though, that no formal approaches have been made at this stage and all three sides are considering moves for the Moroccan youngster, whose contract at Ajax is due to expire in 2028.
Ouazane was once described as an “outrageous talent” by scout Jacek Kulig, and he could be another fantastic addition to the club’s midfield after Gonzalez impressed on his debut with an outrageous passing display.
Despite not turning 18 until next January, the Morocco youth international has been promoted to the first-team at Ajax and started their two Conference League qualifiers against Swiss outfit Sion.
Conference League qualifiers | Ouazane |
|---|---|
Appearances | 2 |
Touches | 77 |
Crosses | 5 |
Key passes | 3 |
Big chances created | 2 |
Assists | 2 |
Successful dribbles | 4 |
Pass accuracy | 92% |
The teenage sensation, who Como scout Ben Mattinson claimed “has ‘galactico level’ potential“, racked up two assists in those two appearances in Europe.
He has also got off the mark in the Eredivisie this season for the Dutch giants, scoring one goal against Heerenveen, after playing in their opening three games of the campaign.
His attacking output from a central midfield position will not come as a surprise to many inside the Ajax academy, because he racked up six goals and nine assists in 33 appearances in all competitions in the 2025/26 campaign.
Like Bruno Guimaraes, Ouazane is a central midfielder who has the willingness to drive forward to support the attack with goals and assists, and has proven that he can deliver consistently in the final third.
Whilst he is still in the early stages of his senior career, the Moroccan ace has already shown that he can make an impact at first-team level with one goal and two assists this season, suggesting that he could be Jaissle’s own version of Guimaraes in the here and now.
That is why the Magpies should push to get a deal done for the teenage sensation before the transfer window officially slams shut on Tuesday night.
