Newcastle have been linked with a £30m bid for a battling midfielder making waves in Serie A
Although it’s been confirmed that Newcastle are sticking with head coach Eddie Howe despite a disappointing season, some observers have wondered whether the recent downturn in results might precipitate a change in tactical approach. Judging by the latest transfer rumours concerning the club’s business in the summer window, however, Howe could be doubling down instead.
Stories from Italy, summarised on Thursday by Sport Witness, suggest that Newcastle are preparing a bid worth €35m (£30.3m) for Udinese midfielder Arthur Atta, a player who seems to have been almost custom-built to Howe’s existing preferences. So why would Atta be such a strong fit for Howe’s style of play, and how likely is it that they get a deal over the line?
Why Athur Atta makes perfect sense as a Newcastle signing
The 23-year-old Atta, a product of Rennes’ prodigious youth academy who cut his teeth with Metz in his home country before moving to Udinese on an initial loan deal in 2024, is an energetic midfielder who straddles the line between a box-to-box player and what Italian coaches would call a mezzala – a ‘half-winger’ playing on the outside of a midfield three and who looks to attack down wide channels to progress play.
Starting out on the right hand side of Udinese’s midfield last season, the right-footed Atta moved to the left flank this year and blossomed in the role, using a combination of impressive ball-carrying skill and his effectiveness tracking back to both shield the defence and force turnovers and then surge wide to spark attacks.
While Howe’s system doesn’t offer his midfielders quite so much license to get wide, Atta – who has represented France at youth level but has yet to earn a senior cap – has the fundamental qualities inherent in the kind of high-tempo box-to-box players that the Newcastle manager prizes.
His dribbling, in particular, is superb, and he’s capable of getting the ball downfield quickly on the counter under his own steam, with good close control matched by fluid acceleration – but he also has the stamina and willingness to press opposing players hard off the ball to win the ball back and create those counter-attacking opportunities himself.
There is a certain amount of similarity between Atta and Bruno Guimarães, even if the comparison might flatter the Frenchman’s defensive qualities to a certain extent. Atta is neither as reliable in one-on-one situations when defending, nor does he have the Brazilian’s breadth of passing range.
While Atta’s natural role in Howe’s system would surely be in midfield, his experience of playing in a hybrid wide role suggests that he could also provide back-up to the left wing position soon to be vacated by the departing Anthony Gordon – and although Atta isn’t necessarily a natural goalscorer, there have been signs that he’s learning to impact the final third.
After failing to score a single goal in the 2024/25 season, he’s scored six in all competitions this year including a well-taken goal in a 3-0 rout of AC Milan and a brace towards the end of a thrilling 3-3 draw with Lazio in April. It would be a stretch to describe Atta as a truly reliable threat in the opposing penalty area, but he’s clearly worked on both his finishing and his movement as he gets towards the box.
Atta seems like a natural fit for the kind of high-energy, hard-running style of play that Howe demands from his midfielders, and his continued development over the past year suggests that there is more to come from a player who still has the vast majority of his career ahead of him. But how likely is that Newcastle get a deal over the line?
Will Newcastle sign Atta in the summer transfer window?
According to the Italian press, Newcastle are preparing a bid but have yet to make a formal approach – but reports suggest that the Magpies will make an initial offer of around €35m, about €5m south of Udinese’s valuation.
Udinese are, however, a selling club and already stand to make a significant profit on the €8m (£6.9m) that they paid to sign Atta from Metz in the first place. They may, however, be encouraged by rumours of interest from other sides to hold out for a bigger offer.
Sport Witness’ reporting mentions both Bournemouth and Brighton & Hove Albion as potential suitors, while stories elsewhere name Everton, Napoli and AC Milan as interested parties. Fulham allegedly made a bid for Atta back in the January transfer window but having been turned down then, his increased valuation seems to have put them off.
In short, there’s no guarantee that a deal gets over the line even if Newcastle do make a bid in the coming weeks – and there’s always a chance that the stories doing the rounds are overblown. Primary sources include Tuttomercato and UdineseBlog – outlets which can be prone to overhyping gossip.
But in this case, it’s easy to imagine Newcastle being keen on Atta and attempting to negotiate a deal. He’s very much the kind of midfielder that Howe loves to have in his squad.
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