Newcastle United have been linked with a move for Juventus defender Merih Demiral, with the Turkey international surplus to requirements at the Italian club. The centre-back spent last season on loan at Atalanta, but seems unlikely to sign a permanent deal
The Sven Botman transfer saga continues to dominate the agenda on Tyneside, with United and AC Milan battling it out to sign the Dutchman. Demiral could provide a viable alternative if the stalemate is not broken as Newcastle look to bolster their defensive options.
He we profile the centre-back to study what type of player the Magpies could have on their books.
Background
Demiral hails from Turkey and has 35 caps for his national side, representing them at every age level since U17. After learning his craft at Fenerbahce’s youth academy, Demiral did not make a senior appearance before Portuguese outfit Alcanenense snapped him up in 2016.
Sporting Lisbon signed the youngster one year later following a successful loan spell at their youth side but, similar to Fenerbahce, he struggled to break into the first team. A brief return to Turkey with Alanyaspor resulted in Sassuolo bringing him to Italy.
Staying true to the somewhat journeyman trend, Demiral joined Juventus for £15million in 2019. His six Serie A outings in 2019-20 were enough to earn him a league winners’ medal but it was clear his first-team opportunities were limited in Turin.
Atalanta came to the rescue and the 24-year-old was shipped out on loan again. A difficult season saw Gian Piero Gasperini’s side finish eighth but Demiral’s stock remains high. La Dea can activate a €20million release clause to sign him permanently from Juventus.
Playing style
At 6ft 4in, Demiral is a physically imposing centre-back who is commanding in the air. The fact he is right-footed poses the question of whether he would be a backup option to Botman - who is left-footed - or if Newcastle wish to sign both.
Interestingly, the Turkish international is noted for possessing quality with the ball at his feet. In 2019-20, Demiral had the best passing accuracy (93.4%) out of every Juventus centre-back.
Eddie Howe is known to prefer ball-playing defenders, hence the re-introduction of Fabian Schar since his appointment. Atalanta play 3-5-2, meaning Demiral can operate comfortably in a back three or a four. Howe has, on occasion, experimented with a three-man defence when steering away from his trusted 4-3-3.
Where would he fit in?
As mentioned, signing Demiral could hinge on how the Botman saga plays out. Offloading Federico Fernandez, Ciaran Clark or even Jamaal Lascelles would leave Newcastle light in defence and signing both players may be possible.
The 24-year-old played the bulk of last season as the middle defender in a three, a system Howe could use with Schar and Burn either side of him. Turkey partner Demiral alongside Leicester City’s Caglar Soyuncu, handing the coaching setup a formation dilemma if the Magpies do get their man.
Recent comments
Bizarrely, Demiral flirted with United in a recent interview - just not Newcastle United. Amid recent reports linking him with a move to Manchester, the defender described playing at Old Trafford as “a dream”.
He scored against the Red Devils last October to put Atalanta 2-0 up - a game they still lost as goals from Harry Maguire, Marcus Rashford and Cristiano Ronaldo secured a second-half fightback. Despite the defeat, Demiral admitted it was his lifelong ambition to play at Old Trafford.
“Manchester United match was like a dream for me,” Demiral said. “They call it the Theatre of dreams so it was a dream for me too, playing in such an atmosphere. It was all a dream.
“I played in Old Trafford that I dreamed of as a kid, it was an unforgettable moment — Vidic was my childhood idol - I’ve wanted to meet him since I was a kid, I was a huge fan of his and he is a special one to me.”
“I made an important tackle, it was a pleasure to show my talents at Old Trafford & to play in front of an incredible atmosphere.”
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