Newcastle United will be delighted to take some top form into 2025, but with a crunch Carabao Cup tie and a fight for Premier League prominence taking front and centre, Eddie Howe knows that his side need to raise their game even higher.
While the Magpies will survey the market this month, Howe will want to set his side up for success over the coming years and appears to have identified an up-and-coming striker will the potential to be a superstar.
Could it be a sign that Alexander Isak is ready to take his leave? Fingers crossed that doesn’t happen, eh?
Newcastle chasing new striker
As per a report from Caught Offside on New Year’s Eve, Newcastle are interested in signing Vitor Roque from Barcelona, with the youngster’s move to Camp Nou not really going to plan so far.
He’s now enjoying a short-term stint with La Liga rivals Real Betis, and although the 19-year-old’s performances have improved, he’s still got much to work on before hitting his potential.
Newcastle are set to lose Callum Wilson when his contract expires at the end of the season and need competition for Isak. Roque is considered a high-class striking talent and could even surpass United’s deadly talisman in the coming years.
Why Newcastle should sign Vitor Roque
Barcelona signed Roque in a deal rising to £52m in January 2024. The attacker arrived with a weight of expectation after establishing himself as one of South America’s prized jewels but started only two of 16 matches for La Blaugrana before the summer, bagging two goals.
Results had gone awry, but the Brazilian talent has rebounded across the 2024/25 campaign on loan with Betis, producing a respectable return of six goals and two assists across 23 matches in all competitions, only 14 of which have come from the outset.
Hailed as a “top talent” by football scout Jacek Kulig, Roque had struggled to acclimatise at Barcelona last season but has begun to make eye-catching progress on loan with Betis.
Physically, he’s a monster, blessed with pace and power, but there’s also an intellect and mental determination to the Brazilian’s game, something that will serve him well and is being evidenced currently through his La Liga resurgence.
Of course, he needs to score more, but the underlying data is something to admire. As per FBref, the Roque ranks among the top 14% of forwards across Europe’s top five leagues over the past year for shots taken and the top 16% for progressive carries per 90, evidencing his physicality, tenacity and ball-carrying.
A carry is considered progressive if the ball is moved towards the opponent’s goal at least 10 yards from its starting point or is carried into the penalty area.
There’s something worth fighting for there, especially since FBref records him as a similar player to Manchester City’s Erling Haaland of all people. Roque had initial difficulties adapting to Barcelona’s technical style, but this isn’t really his fault, with the youngster bearing the mark of a natural number nine, not the most technical but powerful and with a fierce ball-striking ability.
He could become the striker that Newcastle need to complement and perhaps even replace Isak in the future. Let’s not forget, Roque is only 19 years old and already starting to find his feet in La Liga, notching four goals from 12 starts this term.
A certain Swedish striker once plied his trade in Spain’s top flight, and started his Spanish stint at a similar age and experience level to Roque.
Matches (starts)
15 (12)
37 (14)
Goals (per game)
4 (0.27)
9 (0.25)
Assists
2
1
Shots (on target)*
2.5 (1.2)
1.2 (0.6)
Big chances missed
9
8
Pass completion
72%
73%
Key passes*
0.6
0.4
Dribbles*
0.5
0.5
Total duels (won)*
2.9 (35%)
1.7 (37%)
Isak was at the end of his teenage years when he first joined Real Sociedad, and it’s curious to see that he wasn’t all that different to the striker, matching his goal-per-game rate – there or thereabouts.
Roque has the mark of a top-level goalscorer, finding space and unleashing strikes with frightening regularity. The problem is that he hasn’t yet sharpened his skills to a fine and accurate point.
That could change with a transfer to Newcastle. Sat behind Isak in the pecking order, he could develop his qualities with a clear pathway to stardom in the Premier League.
Newcastle’s goal machine is perhaps the most coveted forward in Europe right now, and after a seamless transition to life on English shores (injuries notwithstanding), Roque must now follow suit.
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