Arne Slot and Eddie Howe will face off in the Premier League and Europe next season - but could they strike a deal first?
As the transfer window prepares to re-open after a brief Club World Cup hiatus, the rumour mill is ramping up once again and that includes’ Liverpool’s pursuit of a left-wing upgrade to Cody Gakpo, featuring a target worth £80 million.
It feels unbelievable that such an explosive summer transfer window that already features a potential Premier League record signing could experience a lull, but that’s been the reality as this week has seen Fabrizio Romano tweeted his 17th ‘Here we go’ on Martin Zubimendi and posted Lamine Yamal’s holiday pictures with Neymar. Groundbreaking gossip.
Liverpool certainly aren’t slowing down but there’s an expectation that they’ll need to sell some established players to fund the purchase of another attacking superstar, and Jarrell Quansah looks like one of those fundraising efforts ahead of Darwin Nunez.
Valued at £40m, Quansah has been heavily linked to Bayer Leverkusen but Newcastle are in desperate need of a centre-back and after their pursuit of Marc Guehi looks perilous right now having already missed out on their top two targets this window in Liam Delap and Bryan Mbeumo.
Eddie Howe desperately needs to make a splash and the 22-year-old could anchor the Magpies’ defence of years to come while swapping him for Gordon and £40m in cash would seal the deal as Liverpool could land their top wing target, solving problems for both clubs.
Quansah the perfect fit for Newcastle backline
It’s too early to tell if Quansah can be the complete package at centre-back, but he certainly has all the tools to succeed in the modern game. Standing at almost two metres tall, Quansah possess the physicality to thrive in the Premier League and he’s never let Liverpool down defensively when called upon in the top flight or the Champions League despite his tender age.
But it’s ability with the ball at his feet that should really excite Howe, as Quansah could be the perfect long-term partner to Sven Botman at St James’ Park. A pass accuracy of 91.8% puts Quansah in the top 12% of centre-backs across Europe’s top five leagues and he gets on the ball more times per 90 minutes than almost anyone else, particularly in the attacking third.
Quansah carries the ball into that area almost once every game, and while he’s not as refined as Guehi who’s played 3.6 times as many senior minutes as Quarrell, but it’s easy to see why he’s a viable alternative to the Crystal Palace star who’ll be 26 by the time the 2025/26 season starts.
With 33-year-old pair Fabian Schar and Dan Burn still going strong on Tyneside, Howe could afford to manage Quansah’s transition to becoming a regular first-team starter but £40m will turn out to be a Virgil van Dijk-level bargain if the youngster can fulfull his potential in a system that looks tailor-made for him to succeed in.
Quansah would also be better-positioned to push for his long-awaited England debut and make his case for inclusion in the Three Lions’ 2026 World Cup squad - both Thomas Tuchel and Gareth Southgate have selected him in squads but he’s yet to make his international bow.
Gordon would cap epic Liverpool transfer window
Returning to Merseyside in red would be a dream for Liverpool fan Gordon, who’s proved himself more than worthy of that redemption after he was released from the Anfield academy aged 11.
Gordon’s flourished on Tyneside and returned 11 goals and 15 assists in his first full Premier League, sparking Liverpool’s pursuit of him last summer.
His instinct to create rather than finish would hardly be a burden on a Liverpool side that would be overflowing with goals next season even with Homer Simpson on the wing - with Mohamed Salah still going strong, Wirtz in the building and a superstar striker on the way Gordon could be the glue that makes this Reds side favourites for the 2025/26 Champions League.
He’d add express pace that’s currently missing from the projected starting XI and should dovetail wonderfully with Wirtz who also loves to drift to the left and possesses the same multi-tool ability to hurt opponents in the final third in a variety of ways.
So a swap plus cash would be perfect for all involved. Newcastle could ease their Profit and Sustainability Rules headaches by netting a healthy profit on Gordon, who they signed for £45m in January 2023, and pick up a potential 15-year starter at centre-back who should fit Howe’s style perfectly in the process.
Meanwhile Quansah would escape the shadow of Van Dijk and Ibrahima Konate at St James’ Park and get the opportunity to blossom into a Premier League, Champions League and England stalwart while Liverpool could fund further splashes in the transfer market and capture the prodigal son on the left flank - truly a win for all parties.
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