The Saudi Pro League star could move clubs in the January transfer window
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After Ruben Neves tore up English football with Wolverhampton Wanderers for six seasons, rumours that he could return to these shores in the January transfer window are getting top-flight clubs very exciting - but there’s a clear best fit that could allow him to star both in the Premier League and at the World Cup.
Of all the Saudi Pro League’s big-money acquisitions in the last few years, Neves is part of an infuriating and rare group who surely could’ve gone on to play at the highest pinnacle in club football (with all due respect to Wolverhampton Wanderers, and The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques' Cup).
Players like Neymar, Riyad Mahrez and Sadio Mane had already won the biggest prizes in Europe and were clearly reaching the ends of their careers while there are plenty of younger signings including Joao Felix, Moussa Diaby and Darwin Nunez who’d once been some of the hottest prospects around but hadn’t performed when they’d stepped up to the top level.
Neves is one of the few players (alongside Jhon Duran) who still had the potential to be a star for a true superclub yet went to the desert anyway, and two years after leaving Wolverhampton he proved he still has that quality by starting the semi-final and playing 74 minutes in the final as Portugal won the Nations League in the summer.
Now aged 28, and having stuffed his bank account with an estimated €50 million (£44m), Neves is reportedly open to a Premier League return in January for just €20m (£17.6m) according to Mark Brus’ the Daily Briefing, with Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur both chasing him. But Neves’ best move would be to stay with his current paymasters and move to Newcastle United, bolstering Eddie Howe’s struggling midfield.
Neves not set for success with Man United or Spurs
There’s a reason two of the big six are interested in Neves - he’s a capable defensive midfielder that can also act as a quarterback in possession, moving his team up the field and allowing the flashier stars to shine up front. However, one capable ball-playing midfielder does not an attack make. It’s a problem Manchester United have faced for years chasing a world-class midfield capable of both dominating possession and creating plenty of meaningful chances.
They’ve had enough quality technicians in midfield - most notably Paul Pogba - but they’ve never surrounded them with the talent to create a multi-faceted threat which has made it easy for the opposition to lock onto the single creative threat and mark or press him out of the game.
Wherever he’s gone, Pep Guardiola has always had capable central midfielders coming out of his years - think of all Manchester City’s talent there in the last nine years; Bastian Schweinsteiger, Toni Kroos and Thiago Alcantara at Bayern Munich; or of course Sergio Busquets, Xavi and Andres Iniesta at Camp Nou.
Excluding Casemiro, who will be 34 when his contract expires this summer, who do Manchester United have to pair alongside Neves and be both industrious to run a two-man midfield, and creative enough demand the defensive resources that will give Neves the space to spark attacks?
The 31-year-old Bruno Fernandes, who’s yet to prove himself in that deeper role? Kobbie Mainoo, who Amorim has picked as his next scapegoat now Marcus Rashford, Alejandro Garnacho and Rasmus are all starring and scoring elsewhere? Manuel Ugarte? Toby Collyer?
Neves is in his prime right now but can’t afford to wait around too long for Manchester United to muddle through finding a midfield partner, or tear it all down and start again with a back four when Amorim is sacked. Meanwhile James Maddison would fit the bill at Spurs but he won’t be playing football for a long time and entire future at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium is in doubt right now. However, Newcastle can tick all the boxes for Neves.
Neves can fill chasm in Magpies’ midfield
However, Neves could slot in perfectly alongside Sandro Tonali and Bruno Guimaraes and fire another top four or five push at St. James’ Park plus a European adventure this season.
In his last season in the Premier League, Neves was in the top band of midfielders for passing distance at all ranges, set piece stats and defensive categories like shots blocked and interceptions. His exploits for Portugal and in the Club World Cup suggest that ability hasn’t waned and Neves could be the perfect replacement for Joelinton in Newcastle’s midfield stable.
Alongside this, going to a club that aren’t expected to dominate almost every game could suit the 28-year-old well - Neves never had superstars alongside him in the Wolves midfield, but the club's stature and playing style under Nuno Espirito Santo meant he could still be effective.
The depressed transfer fee would certainly be affordable for Newcastle and the negotiation for his signature shouldn't be too hard either given it would literally be Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF) negotiating with itself, a bit like Chelsea haven't had much trouble doing all this business with Strasbourg all of a sudden.
Neves would need to take a pay cut but he surely wouldn’t be sounding out Premier League clubs if he wasn’t prepared for that, and a move to Newcastle would be the perfect decision for both player and club.